THE 

LADY OF THE LAKE 

A POEM, 

IN SIX CANTOS. 

BY SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART. 



LIST REVTSED EDITION, WITH AN INTRODUCTION, GL09. 
SAEY, AND COPIOUS NOTES, BT THE AUTHOR. 



CINCINNATI: 
PUBLISHED BY U. P. JAMES. 



1 84- 



Beques;. 
Feb. 1929 



TO 

THE MOST NOBLE 

JOHN JAMES, MARQUIS OF ABERCORN, 

&c., &c., &c., 
THIS POEM IS INSCRIBED 

BT 

THE AUTHOR. 



CONTENTS. 



Cajtto Paos. 

I. The Chase 11 

II. The Island 53 

III. The Gathering 97 

IV. The Prophecy 143 

V. The Combat 187 

VI. The Guard Room 232 



INTRODUCTION 

TO 

THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

After the success of " Marmion," I felt inclined to 
exciajm with Ulysses in the " Odyssey" — 

OuTOj /^iv Sy\ xiiiKOf axuTii i%TSrlKi<rTCH 
Nut- auTj (TXO'rov aA.A.oi'. 

Odys. X. 1. 5. 
*fcOne venturous game my hand has won to-day — 
Another, gallants, yet remains to play." 
The ancient manners, the habits and customs of the 
aboriginal race by whom the Highlands of Scotland 
were mhabiied, had always appeared to me peculiar- 
ly adapted to poetry. The change in their manners, 
too, had taken place almost within my own time, or 
at least I had learned many particulars concerning 
the ancient state of the Highlands from the old men 
of the last generation. I had always thought the old 
Scottish Gael highly adapted for poetical coinijosition. 
The teuds and political dissensions, which half a cen- 
tury earlier, would have rendered the richer and 
wealthier part of the kingdom indisposed to counte- 
nance a poem, the scene of which was laid in the 
Highlands, were now sunk in the generous compas- 
sion virhich the English, more than any other nation, 
feel lor the misfortunes of an honorable foe. The 
Poems of Ossian had, by their popularity, sufficiently 
Shown, that if writings on Highland subjects were 
qualified to interest ihe reader, mere national preju- 
dices were, in the present day, very unlikely to inter- 
fere with their success. 

I had also read a great deal, seen much, and heard 
more, of that romantic country, wliere I was in the 
habit of spending some time every autumn ; and the 
scenery of liOch Katrine was connected with the re- 
collection of many a dear friend and merry expedition 
of former days. This poem, the action of which lay 
among scenes so beautiful, and so deeply imprinted Ott 
my recollections, was a labor of love, and it was rut 



(5) 



VI INTRODUCTION. 

less so to recall the manners and incidents introduced. 
The frequent custom of James IV.^ and particularly of 
James V., to walk through their kingdom in disguise, 
afforded me the hint of an incident, which never fails 
to be interesting if managed with the slightest address 
or dexterity. 

I may now confess, however, that the employment, 
'Jiough attended with great pleasure, was not without 
.Is doubts and anxieties. A lady, to whom I was near- 
ly related, and with whom I lived during her whole 
life, on the most brotherly terms of alTection, was re- 
siding with me at the time when the work was in 
progress, and used to ask me, what I could possibly 
do to rise so early in the morning, (that happening to 
be the most convenient time to me for composition.) 
At last I told her the subject of my meditations; and J 
never can forget the anxiety and affection expressea 
in her reply. "Do not be so rash," she said, "my 
dearest cousin.* You are already popular — more so 
perhaps, than you yourself will believe, or than even 
I, or other partial friends, can fairly allow to your 
merit. You stand high — do not rashly attempt to climb 
higher, and incur the risk of a fall; for, depend upon 
:t, a favorite will not be permitted even to stumble 
with impunity." I replied to this affectionate expos- 
tulation in the words of Montrose — 

"He either fears his fate too much, 
Or his deserts are small, 

Who ^res not put it to the touch, 
To gain or lose it all." 
*'If I fail," I said, for the dialogue is strong m my 
recollection, "it is a sign that I ought never to have 
succeeded, and I will write prose for life : you will 
see no change in my temper, nor will I eat a single 
meal the worse. But if I .succeed, 

' Up with the bonnie blue bonnet, 
The dirk, and the feather, and a' !' 

* (The lady with whom Sir Walter .<;cott held this conversation, was 
io doubt, his aunt, Miss Christian Rutherford ; there was no other fe- 
male relation daid when this Introduction was written; whom I can 
luppose him to have consulted on literary questions. Lady Capulet,on 
peeing the corpse of Tjjbalt, exclaims, — 

'" Tybalt, my cousin 1 oh my mother's child !") 



INTRODUCTION. VU 

Afterwards I showed my affectionate and anxious 
criiic the first canto ofthe poem, which reconciled her 
to my imprudence. Nevertheless, although I answer- 
ed thus confidently, with the obstinacy often said to be 
proper to those who bear my surname, I acknowledge 
that my confidence was considerably shaken by the 
warning of her excellent lasle and unbiassed friend- 
ship. Nor was I much comforted by her retraction 
ofthe unfavorable judgment, when I recollected how 
likely a natural partiality was to effect that change of 
opinion. In such cases, affection rises l.ke a light on 
the canvass, improves any favorable tints which it for- 
merly exhibited, and throws its defects into the 
shade. 

1 remember that about the same time a friend start- 
ed in to •• heeze up my hope," like the •' sportsman with 
his cutty gun,"' in the old song. He was bred a far- 
mer, but a man of powerl'ui understanding, natural 
pood taste, and warm poetical teeling. perfectly com- 
petent to supply the wants of an imperfect or irregu- 
lar education, lie was a passionate admirer of field- 
sports, which we often pursued together. 

As this friend happt'ued to dine With me at Ashesteil 
one day. I took the opportunity of reading to him the 
first canto oi"Tlie Lady ofthe Lake," in order to as- 
certain the effect the poem was likely to produce up- 
on a person who w^as but too i'avorable a representa- 
tive of readers at large. It is. of course, to be sup- 
posed, that 1 determ:n(;d rather to guide my opinion 
by what my friend might appear to feel, than by what 
he might think fit to say. His receptiouof my recita- 
tion, or prelection, was' rather singular. He placed his 
hand across his brow, and listened with great atten- 
tion through the whole account of the stag-hunt till 
the dogs threw themselves into the lake to follow their 
master, who embarks with Ellen Douglas. He then 
started up with a sudden exclamation, struck his 
hand on the table, and declared in a voice of censure 
calculated for the occasion, that the dogs must have 
been totally ruined by being permitted to take the wa- 
ter after such a severe chase. I own I was much en- 
couraged by the species of reverie which had posses- 
Bed so zealous a follower of the sports of the ancient 



Vlll INTRODUCTION. 

Nimrod, who had been completely surprised out of 
all doubts of the reality of the tale. Another of hia re- 
marks gave me less pleasure. He detected the iden- 
tity of the King with the wandering knight, Fitz-James, 
when he wind.'? his bugle to summon his attendants. 
He was probably thinking of the lively, but somewhat 
licentious^ old ballad, in which the denouement of a 
royal intrigue takes place as follows : — 

" He took a bugle frae his side, 

He blew lioth loud and slirill, 
And four-and-twenty belted knights 

Came skipping ower the hill; 
Then he took out a little knife, 

Let a' liis duddies fa' 
And he was the brawest gentleman 

That was amang them a', 

And we'll go no more a-roving," Sec. 

This discovery, as Mr. Pepys says of the rent m hie 
camlet cloak, was but a trifle, yet it troubled me ; and 
I was at a good deal of pains to efface any marks by 
which I thought my secret could be traced before the 
conclusion, when I relied on it with The same hope of 
producing effect, with which the Irish post-boy is said 
to reserve a •' trot for the avenue." 

I took uncommon pains to verify the accuracy of 
the local circumslances of this story. I recollect, in 
particular, that to ascertain whether I was telling a 
probable tale, I went into Perthshire, to .see whether 
King James could actually have ridden from the banks 
of Loch Vennaehar to Stirling Castle within the time 
supposed in the Poem, and had the pleasure to satis- 
fy myself that it was quite practicable. 

After a considerable delay, " The Lady of the Lake'» 
appeared in June, 1810 ; and its success was certain- 
ly so extraordinary as to induce me for the moment to 
conclude that I had at last fixed a nail in the proverb- 
ially inconstant wheel of Fortune, whose stability in 
behalf of an individual who had so boldly courted her 
favors for three successive times had not as yet been 
shaken. I had attained, perhaps, that degree of pub- 
lic reputation at which prudence, or certainly timidi- 
ty, would have made a halt, and discontinued effort* 



INTRODUCTION. IX 

by wlich I was far more likely to diminish my fame 
than to increase it. Bui, as the celebrated John Wilkes 
IS said to have explained to his late Majesty, that he 
himself, amid his tull tide of popularity, was never'a 
Wilkite, so I can, with iionest truth, exculpate myself 
from having been at any lime apartizanofniy own po- 
etry, even when it was in the highest fashion with the 
mUlion. It must not be supposed, that I was either so 
ungrateful, or so superabondautly candid, as to despise 
or scorn the value of those whose voice had elevated 
me so much higher than my own opinion told me J 
deserved. I felt, on tlie contrary, the more grateful to 
the public, as receiving that from i)art!alily to me, 
which I could not have claimed I'rom merit ; and I en- 
deavored to deserve the partiality, by continuing such, 
exertions as I was capable of for their amusement. 

It may be that I did not, in this continued course of 
scribbling, consult either the interest of the public or 
my own. But the former had effectual means of de- 
fending themselves, and could, by llieir coldness, suf- 
ficientty check any approach to intrusion; and for my- 
self, I had now for several years dedicated my hours 
so much to literary labor, that I should have felt diffi- 
culty in employing myself otherwise ; and so, like 
Dogberry, I generoasly'bestowed all my tediousness 
on the public, comibrting myself with the rertection, 
that if posterity should think me undeserving of the 
favor with wluch I was regarded by rny contempo- 
raries, '' they could not but say I had liie crown," and 
had enjoyed for a time that popularity which is so 
much coveted. 

I conceived, however, that I held the distinguished 
situation I had obtained, however unworthily, rather 
like the champion of pugilism.* on the condition of 
being always ready to sliow proofs of my skill, than 
in the manner of the champion of chivalry, who per- 
forms his duties only on rare and solemn occasions. 
I was in any case conscious that I could not long hold 

• {_" In twice five years the ' frreafest living poef,' 

Like to the cliampion in the tisty ring, 

b called on to support his claim, or shovT it, 

Although His an imazioary thing," tc 

Don Juan, c^Dto xi. tt 55.) 



X INTRODUCTION. 

a situation which the caprice, rather than the jud^ent 
of the public, had bestowed upon me, and preferied 
being deprived of my precedence by some more wor- 
thy rival, to sinking into contempt for my indolence, 
and losing my reputation by what Scottish lawyers 
call the negative xire^rriplion. Accordingly, those who 
choose to look at the Introduction to Rokeby, will bg 
able to trace the steps by which 1 declined as a poet to 
figure as a novelist ; as the ballad says. Queen Eleanor 
sunk at Charing-Cross to rise again at Queenhithe. 

It only remains for me to say, that, during my short 
pre-eminence of popularity. I faithfully observed the 
rules of moderation which I had resolved to follow be- 
fore 1 began my course as a man of letters. If a man 
is determined to make a noise in the world, he is as 
sure to encounter abuse and ridicule, as he who gal- 
lops furiously through a village must reckon on being 
followed by the curs in full cry. Experienced persons 
know, that in stretching to flog the latter, the rider is 
very apt to catch a bad tall; nor is an attempt to chas- 
tise a malignant critic attended with less danger to the 
author. On this principle, I let parody, burlesque and 
squibs, find their own level ; and while the latter 
hissed most fiercely, I was cautious never to catch 
them up, as the schoolboys do. to throw them back 
against tlie naughty boy who fired them off, wisely 
remembering that they are. in such cases, apt to ex- 
plode in the handling. Let me add, that my reign* 
(since Byron has so called it) was marked by some in- 
stances of good-nature as well as patience. I never 
refused a literary person of merit such services in 
smoothing his way to the public as were in my pow- 
er ; and t had the advantage, ratlier an uncommon 
one with our irritable race, to enjoy general favor,with- 
out incurring permanent ill-will, so far as is known to 
me, among any of my contemporaries. 

Abbotsfokd, April, 1830. 

* £" Sir Waller reign'd before me," Ac 

Don Juan, canto xi. st 57.] 



THE LADY OE THE LAKE 



ARGUMENT. 

The scene of the fnllowing poem is laid chiefly in 
the vicinity of Loch-Kiitrine. in the Western High- 
lands of Perihshire. The time of action includes 
six days, and the transactions of each day occupy a 
canto.* 



OANTO FIRST. 

THE CHASE. 

Hakp of the North ! that moulderhig long hast 
hung 

* [" Never, we think, has the analogy between po- 
etry and paintin" been more strikingly exemplified 
than in the wruings of Mr. Sroit. He sees every 
thing with a painter's eye. Wliatever herepresentg 
has a character of iiidividiialily, and is drawn with 
nn accuracy and minuteness ofdiscrimination, which 
we are not accustomed to expect from verbal de- 
scription. Much of this, no doubt, is the result of 
genius; for there is a quick and comprehensive 
power of discernment, an intensity and keenness of 
observation, an almost intuitive clance, which na- 
ture alone can give, and by means of which her fa- 
vourites are enabled to discover characteristic dif- 
ferences, where the eye of dullness sees nothing but 
uniformity; but something also must be referred to 
discipline and exercise. The liveliest fancy can on- 
ly call forth those images which are already stored 
up in the memory ; and all that invention can do is 
to unite these into new combinations, which must 



12 THE LADY OF THE LAKE, 

On the witch-elm that shades Saint Fillan's 
spring, 
appear confused and ill-defined, if the impressions 
originally received by the senses were deficient in 
strength and distinctness. It is because Mr. Scott 
usually delineates those objects with which he is 
perfectly familiar, that his touch is so easy, correct, 
and animated. The locks, the ravines, and the tor- 
rents, which he exhibits, are not the imperfect 
sketches of a hurried traveler, but the finished stu- 
dies of a resident artist, deliberately drawn from 
difTerent point? of view ; each has its true shape and" 
position ; it is a porirait ; it has its name by which 
the spectator is invited to examine the exactness of 
the resemblance. The figures whicli are combin> d 
with the landscape are painted with the same fidel- 
ity. Like those of Salvator Rosa, they are perfect- 
ly appropriate to the spot on which they stand. The 
boldness of feature, ihe lightness and compactness 
of form, the wildness of air, and the careless ease 
of attitude of these mountaineers, are as congenial 
to their native Highlands, as the birch and the pine 
which darken their glens, the sedge w hjch fringes 
their lakes, or the heath which waves over their 
moors." — Qiiartcrhj Review, May, 1S!0. 

"It is honorable to Mr. Scott's genius that lie has 
been able to interest the public so deeply with this 
third presentment of Ihe same chivalrous scenes; 
but we cannot help thinking, that both his glory and 
our gratification would have been greater, if he had 
changed liis hand more completely, and actually 
given us a true Celtic story, with all its drapery and 
accompaniments in a corresponding style of decor- 
ation. Such a subject, we are persuaded, has very 
great capabilities, and only wants tole introduced 
to public notice by such a hand as Mr. Scott's, to 
make a still more powerful impression than he has 
already eflfected by ilie resurrection of the tales of 
romance. There are few persons, we believe, of 
any degree of poetical susceptibility, who have wan- 
dered among the secluded valleys of the Highlands, 
and contemplated the lingular people by whom they 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 13 

And down the fitful breeze thy numbers flung,* 

Till envious ivy did around thee cling. 
Muffling with verdant ringlet every string, — 

O minstrel harp, still must thine accents sleep? 
Mid rustling leaves and fountains murmuring, 
Still must thy sweeter sounds their silence 
keep, 
Nor bid a warrior smile, nor teach a maid to 
weep. 

Not thus, in ancient days of Caledon, 

Was thy voice mute amid the lestai crowd, 

When lay of hopeless love, or glory won. 
Aroused the fearful, or subdued the proud. 

At each according pause, was heard aloudt ♦ 

are still tenanted— with iheir love of nnnsic. and of 
song— their hardy and irregular life, so unlike the 
unvarying toils of the f*axon Mechanic — iheir de- 
votion to their chiefs — their wild and lofty traditions 
— their national enthusiasm — the melancholy gnxn- 
deiir of the scenes they inhabit — and t!ie multiplied 
superstitions which still linger among them — with- 
out feelini;. that there is no existing people so well 
adapted for the purposes of poetry, or so capable of 
furnishing the occasions of new and striking inven- 
tions. 

" IVe are persunded, that if Mr. Scott's powerful and 

creative Renins were to be turned in good earnest to 

such a subject, something might be produced still more 

impressive nnd original than even this age. has yet wit' 

nessed." — Jeffrey, Edinburgh Review, No. xvi for 

1610] 

* [MS.-" And on the fitful breeze thy numbers flung, 

Till envious ivy, with her verdant ring, 

Mantled and muffled each melodious 

string.— 
O Wizard Harp, still must thine accents 
sleep?"] 
t [MS.-"At each accord ln$r pa use thou spokest aloud 
Thine ardent sympathy."] 



4 THE LADY OF THE LAKE* 

Thine ardent symphony sublime and high! 
Fair dames and crested chiefs attention bowed ; 

For still the burden of thy minstrelsy 
"Was knighthood's dauntless deed and beauty's 

matchless eye. 
O wake once more ! how rude so e'er the hand 

That ventures o'er thy magic maze to stray : 
O wake once more I tho' scarce my skill com- 
mand, 

Some feeble echoing of thine earlier lay ; 
Though harsh and faint, and soon to die away, 

And al! unworthy of ihy nobler strain, 
Yet, if one heart throb higher at its sway, 

The wizard note has not been touched in vain. 
Then silent be no more ! Enchantress, wake 
again ! 

I. 

The Stag at eve had drunk his fill, 
Where danced the moon on Monan's rill, 
And deep his midnight lair had made 
In lone Glenartney's hazel shade ; 
But, when the sun his beacon red 
Had kindled on Benvoirlich's head, 
The deep-mouth'd blood-hound's heavy bay 
Resounded up the rocky way,* 
And faint, from farther distance borne. 
Were heard the clanging hoof and horn. 

II. 

As chief, who hears his warder call, 
" To arms ! the foemen storm the wall,'' — 
The antlered monarch of the waste 
Sprung from his heathery couch in haste. 

♦ [.MS.—" The bloodhound's notes of heavy bass 
Resounded hoarsely up the pass."] 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 15 

But, e'er his fleet career he took, 

The dew drops from his flanks he shook ; 

Like crested leader proud and high, 

Tossed tiis beamed trontlet to the sky ; 

A moment gazed adown the dale, 

A moment snufled the tainted gale, 

A moment listened to the cry, 

That thickened as the chase drew nigh : 

Then, as the headmost foes appeared, 

With one brave bound the copse he cleared, 

And, stretching forward free and far. 

Sought the wild heaths of Uam-Var,* 

III. 

Yelled on the view the opening pack ; 
Rock, glen and cavern paid them back ; 
To many a mingled sound at once 
The awakened mountain gave response. 
A hundred dogs bayed deep and strong, 
Clattered a hundred steeds along. 
Their peal the merry horns rung out, 
A hundred voices joined the shout ; 

* Ua-var, as the name is proronnced, or more 
properly Uaighmor, is a mountain to the north-east 
of the village of Callender in Menieilli, deriving its 
name, which signifies the great den, or cavern, from 
a sort of retreat among the rocks on the south side, 
said, by tradition, to have been the abode of a Ejiant. 
In latter times it was the refuge of robbers and ban- 
ditti, who have been only exiirpated within these 
forty or fifty years. Strictly speaking, this etrong- 
hold is not a cave, as the name would imply, but a 
sort of small enciosur>-. or recess, surrounded with 
large rocks, and open above head. It may have been 
originally designed as a toil for deer, who might get 
in from the outside, bur would find it diliicult to re- 
turn. This opmiou prevails anions the old sports* 
men and deer-stalkers in the neighborhood. 



16 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

With hark and whoop, and wild halloo, 
No rest Benvoirlich's echoes knew,* 
Far from the tumult fled the roe, 
Close in her covert cowered the doe, 
The falcon, from her cairn on high, 
Cast on the rout a wondering eye, 
Till far beyond her piercing ken 
The hurricane had swept the glen. 
Faint and more faint, its failing din 
Returned from cavern, cliflT, and linn, 
And silence settled, wide and still. 
On the lone wood and mighty hill. 

IV. 
Less loud the sounds of sylvan war 
Disturbed the heights of Uam-Var, 
And rous'd the cavern, where, 'tis told, 
A giant made his den of old : 
For ere that steep ascent was won, 
High in his pathway hung the sun, 
And many a gallant, stayed per force. 
Was fain to breathe his faltering horse ; 
And of the trackers of the deer 
Scarce half the lessening pack was near; 
So shrewdly, on the mountain side, 
Had the bold burst their mettle tried. 

V. 

The noble stag was pausing now. 
Upon the mountain's southern brow. 
Where broad extended, far beneath, 

* [Benvoirlirh, a mouniain coir.prehended in the 
cluster of the Grampians, at the head of the valley 
of the Garry, a river which sprinijs from its base. It 
rises to an elevation of 3330 feet above the level of 
the sea.J 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 17 

The varied realms of fair Menteith. 
With anxious eye he wandered o'er 
Mountain and meadow, moss and moor, 
And pondered refuge from his toil, 
By far Lochard* or Aberfoyle. 

* ["About a mile to the westward of the inn of 
Aberfoyle, Lochard opens to the view. A few hun- 
dred yaids to the east of it. the Avendow, which 
had just issued from the lake, tumbles its waters 
over a rugged precipice of more than thirty feet in 
height, forming, in the rainy season, several very 
magnificent cataracts. 

'The tirsl opening of the lower lake, from the 
east, is uncommonly picturesque. Directing the eye 
nearly westward, Benlomond raises its pyramidal 
mass in the liackground. In nearer prospect, you 
have gentle eminences, covered with oak and birch 
to the very summit ; the bare rock sometimes peep- 
ing through amongst the clumps. Immediately un- 
der the eye. the lower lake, stretching oat from nar- 
row beginnings, to a breadth of about half a mile, 
is seen in full prospect. On the right, the banks are 
skirled with extensive oak woods, which cover the 
mountain more than half way up. 

" Advancing to the westward, the vie w of the lake 
is lost for about a mile. The upper lake, which is 
by far the most extensive, is separated from the 
lower by a stream of about 200 yards in length. 
The most advantageous view of the upper lake pre- 
eents itself from a rising ground near its lower ex- 
tremity, where a footpath strikes off to tlie souih, 
into the wood that overhangs this connecting 
Etream. Looking westward. Benlomond is seen in 
the back-ground, rising, at the distance of six miles, 
in the form of a regular cone, its sides presenting a 
gentle slope to the N. W. and S. E. On the right, is 
the lofty mountain of Benoghrie. rnnmng west, to- 
wards the deep vale in which Lochcon lies concealed 
from the eye. In the foreground, Lochard stretches 
out to the west in fairest prospect; its length three 
miles, and its breadth a mile and a half. On the 
2 B 



18 THE LADV OF THE LAKE. 

But nearer was the copse-wood gray, 
That waved and wept on Loch-Achray, 
And mingled with the pine-trees blue 
On the bold cliffs of Benvenue. 
Fresh vigor with the hope returned,* 
Wiih flying foot the heaih he spurned, 
Held westward with unwearied race, 
And left behind the panting chase. 

VI. 

*Twere long to tell what s'eeds gave o'er, 
As swept the hunt through Cambus-more ;t 
What reins were tightened in despair, 
When rose Benledi's ridge in air ;t 

right, it is skirted with woods ; the northern and 
western extremity of the lake is diversified with 
meadows, ;uid corn fields, and farm houses. On the 
left, few niaiks of cultivation are to l)e seen. 

" Farther on, the tr;iveller passes along the verge 
of the lake under a ledge of rock, from thirty to fifty 
feet high ; and, standing immediately under this 
rock, towards! its western extremity, he has a double 
echo, of uncommon d.stinclness. Upon pronoun- 
cing, with a firm voice, a line of ten syllables, it is 
returned, first from the opposite side oi the lake; 
and when that is finished, it is repealed with equal 
distinctness from the wood on the east. The day 
must be perfectly calm, and the lake as smooth as 
glass, for otherwise no human voice can be returned 
from a distance of at least a quarter of a mile." — 
Graham's Sketches of Perthshire, 2d ed. p. 182.] 

* [MS.— "Fresh vigor with the thovsht returned, 
With flying hoof the heath he spurn'd."] 

t [Cambus-wore, within about two miles of Cal- 
lender, on the wooded banks of the Keltie, a tribu- 
tary of ihe Teilh, is the seat of a family of the name 
of Buchanan, whom the poet frequently visited i»i 
his younger davs.] 

X [Beniedi is' a magnificent mountain, 3009 feet in 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 19 

Who flagged upon Bochastle's heath, 
Who shunned to stenfthe flooded Teith,* 
For twice, that day, from shore to shore, 
The gallankgtag swam stoutly o'er. 
Few were tne stragi^lers, following far, 
ThfiC reached the lake of Vennachar ;t 
Af.d.fwhen the Brigg of Turk was won,t 
"^^he headmost horseman rodo alone. 

VII. 

iVlone, but with unbated zeal, 

That horseman plied the scourge and steel ; 

height, which bounds the horizon on the north-west 
from Callender. The name, according to Celtic ety- 
mologists, signifies! the Mountain of Ood.] 

* [Two mountain streams, the one flowing from 
Loch Voii, by the pass of Lenny; the other from 
lioch Katrine, by Loch Achray and Loch Vennachar, 
utr'e at ( : llender, and the river thus formed 
thencefiirih takes the name of Teith. Hence the 
tlesignaiioti of the territory of Menteith.] 

f [•' Lucn Vennachar, a beautiful expanse of wa- 
ter, of about five miles in length, by a miie and a 
half in breadth." — Graham. J 

X [" About a mile above Loch Vennacliar. the ap- 
proach (from the east) to the Brigg, or Bridge of 
Turk. (I he scene of the death of a wild-boar famous 
In Celtic trad.tiun) leads to the summit of an emi- 
nence, where there hursts upon the traveller's eye 
a sudden and wide prospect of the wmdings of the 
liver that issues from Loch Achray, with that sweet 
lake itself in front ; the gently rolling-river pursue? 
its serpentine course through an extensive meadow; 
at the west end of the lake, on the side of Aberfoyle, 
is situated tlie delightful farm of Achray, the level 
field, a denomination justly due to it, when consid- 
ered in contrast with the rugged rocks and moun- 
tains which surround it. From this eminence are 
to be seen also, on the right hand, the entrance to 
Glenfinlas, and in the distance fieuvenue."-- Oba* 

HAM.J 



20 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

For jaded now, and spent with toil, 
Embossed with foam, and dark with soil, 
While every gasp with sobs he drew, 
The laboring stag strained full in view, 
Two dogs of black Saint Hubert's breed, 
Unmatched for courage, breath, and speed,* 

♦ " The hounds which we call Saint Hubert's 
bounds, are commonly all blacke, yet nevertheless, 
their race is so mingled at these days, that we find 
Ihem of all colors. These are the hounds which the 
abbots of St. Hubert haue always kept some of their 
race or kind, in honour or remembrance of the saint, 
which was a hunter with S. Eustace. Whereupon 
we may conceiue that (by the grace of God) all good 
huntsmen shall follow them into paradise. To re- 
turn vnto my former purpose, this kind of dogges 
hath beene dispersed through the counties of He- 
nault, Lorayne, Flanders, and Burgoyne. They are 
mighty of body, neuertheless their legges are low 
and short, likewise they are not swift, although they 
be very good of scent, hunting chaces which are 
farre straggled, fearing neither water nor cold, and 
doe more couet the cliaces that smell, as foxes, bore, 
and such like, than other, because they find them- 
selves neither of swiftness nor courage to hunt and 
kill the chaces that are lighter and swifter. The 
bloodhounds of this colour proue good, especially 
those that are cole blacke, but I made no great ac- 
count to breede on them, or to keepe the kind, and 
yet I found a book which a hunter did dedicate to a 
prince of Lorayne, which seemed to loue hunting 
much, wherein was a blason which the same hunter 
gaue to his bloodhound, called Souyllard, which wag 
white :— 

' My name came first from holy Hubert's race, 
Souyllard my sire, a hound of singular grace.' 

"Whereupon we may presume that some of the kind 
prooue while sometimes, but they ure not of the kind 
of the Grefiiers or Bouxes, which we haue at theae 



THE LACY OF THE LAKE. 21 

Fast on his flying traces came, 

And all but won that desperate game ; 

For scarce a spear's length from his haunch 

Vindictive toiled the blood-hound stanch ; 

Nor nearer might the dogs attain, 

Nor farther might the quarry strain. 

Thus up the margin of the lake. 

Between the precipice and brake. 

O'er stock and rock their race they take. 

VIII. 
The hunter marked that mountain high, 
The lone lake's western boundary, 
And deemed the stag must turn to bay, 
Where that huge rampart barred the way ; 
Already glorying in the prize, 
Measured his antlers with his eyes ; 
For the death-wound, and death-halloo, 
Muster'd his breath, his whinyard drew ;* 

days." — The noble Art of Venerie or Hunting, tram- 
lated and collected for the Use of all J^oblemen and 
Oentlemen. Lond. 1611. 4to. p. 15. 

* When the stag turned to bay, the ancient hun- 
ter had the pt-rilous task of going in upon, and liill- 
ing or disabling the desperate animal. At certain 
times of the year ihis was held particularly danger- 
ous, a wound received from a slag's horn being then 
deemed poisonous, and more dangerous than one 
from the tusks of a boar, as the old rhyme testifies:— 
" If thou be hurt with hart, it brings thee to ihy bier, 
jBut barber's hand will boar's hurt heal, therefore 
[ thou need'st not fear." 

At all times, however, the task was dangerous, and 
to be adventured upon wisely and warily, either by 
jetting behind the stag while he was gazing on the 
lounds, or by watching an opportunity to gallop 
roundly in upon him, and kill him with the sword. 
See many directions to this purpose in the Booke of 



22 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

But thundering as he came prepared, 
With ready arm and weapon bared, 
The wily quarry shunned the shock, 
And turned him from the opposing rock ; 
Then, dashing down a darksome glen. 
Soon lost to hound and hunter's ken, 

Hunting, chap. 41. Wilson the historian has re- 
corded a providential escape which befell him in ihig 
hazardous sport, while a youih and follower of the 
Earl of Essex. 

"Sir Peter Lee, of Lime, in Cheshire, invited my 
lord one summer to hunt the stagg. And having a 
great stagg in chase, and many gentlemen in the 
pursuit, the stagg took soyle. And divers, whereof 
I was one, alighted, and stood with swords drawn, 
to have a cut ut him, at his coming out of the wa- 
ter. The staggs there being wonderfuJIy fierce and 
dangerous, made us youths more eager to be at him. 
Bat he escaped us all. And it was my misfortune 
to be hindered of my coming nere him, the way be- 
ing sliperie, by a faile; which gave occasion to 
some, who did not know mee, to speak as if I had 
falne for fenre. Which being told mee. I left the 
stagg, and followed ihe gentleman who [first] spake 
it. But found him of that cold temper, that it seems 
his words made an escape from hmi ; as by his de- 
nial and repentance it appeared. But this made mee 
more violent in the pursuit of the stagg, to recover 
my reputation. And I happened to be the only 
horseman in, when the dogs set him up at bay ; and 
approaching near him on horsebacke, he broke 
through the dogs, and run at mee, and tore my 
horse's side with his homes, close by my thigh. 
Then I quitted my horse, and grew more cunning, 
(for the dogs had set him up againe) stealing be- 
hind him with my sword, and cut his hamstrings; 
and then got upon his back, and cut his throate; 
which, as I was doing, the company came in, and 
blamed my rashness for running such a hazard." — 
££(-k's Desiderata Cu7-iosa, ii. 404. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE 23 

In the deep Trosach's* wildest nook 
His solitary refuge took. 
There, while close couched, the thicket shed 
( Cold dews and wild flowers on his head, 
He heard the bafliled dogs in vain 
Rave through the hollow pass amain. 
Chiding the rocks that yelled again. 

IX. 

Close on the hounds the hunter came, 
To cheer them on the vanished game ; 
But, stumbling in the rugged dell, 
The gallant horse e.xhausted fell. 
The impatient rider strove in vain 
To rouse him with the spur and rein, 
For the good steed, his labors o'er, 
Stretched his stifT limbs to rise no more. 
Then, touched with pity and remorse, 
He sorrowed o'er the expiring horse; 
" I little thought, when tirst thy rein 
r slacked upon the banks of Seine, 
That highland eagle e'er should leed 
On thy fleet limbs, my matchless steed ; 
Wo worth the chase, wo worth the day, 
That costs thy life, my gallant gray !" 

X. 

Then through the dell his horn resounds, 
From vain pursuit to call the hounds. 
Back limped, with slow and crippled pace, 
The sulky leaders of the chase ; 
Close to their master's side they pressed, 
With drooping tail and humbled crest ; 
But still the dingle's hollow throat 

* ["The term Trosachs signifies the rough orbrist' 
led territory."— Graham.] 



24 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Prolonged the swelling bugle-note, 
The owlets started from their dream, 
The eagles answered with their scream, 
Round and around the sounds were cast. 
Till echo seemed an answering blast ; 
And on the hunter hied his way,* 
To join some comrades of the day ; 
Yet often paused, so strange the road, 
So wondrous was the scenes it showed. 

XI. 

The western waves of ebbing day 
Roiled o'er the glen their level way: 
Each purple peak, each flinty spire, 
Was bathed in floods of living fire, 
But not a setting beam cculd glow 
Within the dark ravines below, 
Where twined the path in shadow hid, 
Round many a rocky pyramid, 
Shooting abruptly from the dell 
Its thunder-splintered pinnacle ; 
Round many an insulated mass, 
The native bulwarks of the pass,t 
Huge as the tower which builders vain 
Presumptuous piled on Shinar's plain.t 
The rocky summits, split and rent, 
Formed turret, dome, or battlement. 
Or seemed fantastically set 
With cupola or minaret. 
Wild crests as pagod ever decked, 
Or mosque of eastern architect. 
Nor were these earth-born castles bare, $ 

* [MS.— "And on the hunter hied his pace. 

To meet some comrades of the cA<we."] 
[MS.— "The mimic castles of the pass.") 
t The Tower of Babel —Genesis, xi 1—9. 
}l [MS.-" Nor were these mighty bulwarks bare.^ 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 25 

Nor lacked they many a banner fair ,• 
For, from their shivered brows display'd, 
Far o'er the unfathomable glade, 
All twinkling with the dewdrops sheen,* 
The brier-rose fell in streamers green. 
And creeping shrubs, of thousand dies, 
Waved in the west- wind's summer sighs. 

XII. 
Boon nature scattered, free and wild, 
Each plant, or flower, the mountain's child. 
Here eglantine embalmed the air. 
Hawthorn and hazel mingled there : 
The primrose pale, and violet flower, 
Found in each cliflfa narrow bower ; 
Fox-glove and night-shade, side by side, 
Emblems of punishment and pride, 
Group'd their dark hues with every stain 
The weather-beaten crags retain. 
With boughs that quaked at every breath, 
-Gray birch and aspen wept beneath ; 
Aloft, the ash and warrior oak 
Cast anchor in the rifted rock : 
And, higher yet, the pine tree hung 
His shattered trunk, and frequent flung, t 
Where seemed the cliffs to meet on high, 
His boughs athwart the narrow'd sky. 
Highest of all, where white peaks glanced, 
Where glist'ning streamers waved and danced, 

* {MS.— ''Brijorht frlisUning with the dewdrops 

sheen.-' 
f [MS.— "His scathed trunk, and frequent flung. 
Where seem'd the clitTs to meet on high. 
His rugged arms athwart the sity. 
Highest of all, where white peaks glanced. 
Where twinkling streamers waved and 
danced."! 

c 



36 THE LADT OF THE LAKE. 

The wanderer's eye could barely view 
The summer heaven's delicious blue ; 
So wondrous wild, the whole might seem 
The scenery of a fairy dream. 

XIII. 

Onward, amid the copse 'gan peep 
A narrow inlet, slill and deep, 
Affording scarce such breadtn of brim,* 
As served ihe wild duck's brood to swim. 
Lost for a space, through thickets veering, 
But broader when again appearing, 
I'all rocks and tufted knolls their face 
Could on the dark blue-mirror trace ; 
And farther as the hunter strayed. 
Slill broader sweep its channels made ; 
The shaggy mounds no longer stood, 
Emerging from entangled wood.t 
But, wave-encircled, seemed to float, 
Like castle girdled with its moat ; 
Yet broader floods extending slill, 
Divide them from their parent hill, 
Till each, retiring, claims to be 
An islet in an inland sea. 

XIV. 

And now, to issue from the glen, 
No pathway meets the wanderer's ken. 
Unless he climb, with footing nice, 
A far projecting precipice. t 

* [MS. — "Affording: scarce such breadth of flood, 

As served to float the wild-duck's brood."] 
t [MS. — " Emerging dry-shod from the wood."] 
t tfntil the present road was made through the ro- 
mantic pass which I have presumptuously attempted 
to describe in the preceding stanzas, there was no 



THE LADY OP THE LAKE. 37 

The broom's tough roots his ladder made, 

The hazel saplings lent their aid ; 

And thus an airy point he won, 

Where gleaming with the setting sun, 

One burnished sheet of living gold, 

Loch-Katrine lay beneath him rolled,* 

In all her length far winding lay, 

With promontory, creek, and bay, 

And islands that, empurpled bright, 

Floated amid the livelier light. 

And mountains, that like giants stand, 

To sentinel enchanted land. 

High on the south, huge Benvenuet 

Down on the lake in masses threw 

Crags, knolls, and mounds, confusedly hurled. 

The fragments of an earlier world ; 

A wildering forest feathered o'er 

His ruined sides and summit hoar,t 

While on the north, through middle air, 

Ben-an^ heaved high his forehead bare. II 

mode of issuing out of the defile, called the Tro- 
sachs, excepting by a sort of ladder, composed of 
the branches and roots of trees. 

* [Loch-Ketlurin is the Celtic pronunciation. In 
his Notes to The Fair Maid of Perth, the Author 
has signified his belief that the lake was named afier 
the Catterins, or wild robbers, who haunted its 
shores.] 

f [Benvenue — is literally the little mountain — t. e. 
as contrasted with Benledi and Benloinond.] 

t (MS. — " His ruined sides rtiA fragments hoar, 
While on the north to middle air.') 

$ (According to Graham, Beii-an, or fiennan, is 
a mere diminutive of Ben — Mountain.) 

II ("Perhaps the art of landscape-painting in po- 
etry, has never been displayed in higher perfection 
than in these stanzas, to which rigid criticism might 
possibly object that the picture is somewhat too mi- 



28 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

XV. 
From the steep promontory gazed* 
The stranger, raptured and amazed. 
And " What a scene were here," he cried, 
" For princely pomp, or churchman's pride ! 
On this bold brow, a lordly tower; 
In that soft vale, a lady's bower ; 
On yonder meadow, far away. 
The turrets of a cloister gray. 
How blithely might the bugle-horn. 
Chide, on the lake, the lingering morn! 
How sweet, at eve, the lover's lute 
Chime, when the groves were still and mute, 
And, when the midnieht moon should lave 
Her forehead in the silver wave. 
How solemn on the ear would come 
The holy matin's distant hum, 
While the deep peal's commanding tone 
Should wake, in yonder islet lone, 
A sainted hermit from his cell. 
To drop a bead with every knell— 
And bugle, lute, and bell, and all, 
Should each bewildered stranger call 
To friendly feast, and lighted hall.t 

nute, and that the contemplation of it detains the 
traveler somewhat too long from the main purpose 
of his pilgrimage, but which it would be an act of 
the greatest injustice to break into fragments, and 
present by piecemeal. Not so the magnificent scene 
which bursts upon the bewildered hunter as he em- 
erges at length from the dell, and commands at one 
view the beautiful expanse of Loch Katrine." — 
Critical Review, August, 1820.) 

*(MS. — '• From the high promontory gazed 

The stranger, awe-struck and amazed.") 

t (MS.— "To hospitable feast and hall.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 29 

XVI. 

" Blithe were it then to wander here ! 
But now, — beshrew yon nimble deer, — 
Like that same hermit's, thin and spare, 
The copse must give my evening fare : 
Some mossy bank my couch must be, 
Some rustling oak my canopy.* 
Yet pass we that ; — the war and chase 
Give little choice of resting place ; — 
A summer night in greenwood spent. 
Were but to-morrow's merriment : — 
But hosts may in these wilds abound, 
Such as are better missed than found ; 
To meet with highland plunderers here 
Were worse than loss of steed or deer, t 

* (MS. — " And hoHotv trunk of some old tree. 
My chamber for the night must be.") 

t The clans who inhabited the romantic regions in 
the neighborhood of Loch Katrine, were, even until 
a late period, much addicted to predatory excursions 
upon their Lowland neighbors. "In former times, 
those parts of this district, which are situated be- 
yond the Grampian range, were rendered almost in- 
accessible by strong barriers of rocks, and moun- 
tains, and lakes. It was a border country, and 
tluiugh on the very verge of tlie low country, it was 
almost totally sequestered from the world, and, as 
it were, insulated with respect to society. 'Tis well 
known that in the Hishlands, it was. in former times, 
accounted not only lawful, but honorable, among 
hostile tribes, to commit depredations on one anoth- 
er; and these habits of the age were perhaps 
Btrengtliened in this district, by the ciicumstances 
which have been mentioned. It bordered on a 
country, the inhabitants of which, while they were 
richer, were less warlike than they, and widely dif- 
ferenced bv language and manners." — Graham's 
Sketches of 'Scenery in Perthshire.. Edin. 1806. p. 97. 



30 THE LADY OF THE LAKE, 

I am alone ; — my bugle strain 
May call some straggler of the train ; 
Or, fall the worst that may betide, 
Ere now this falchion has been tried." 

XVII. 
But scarce again his horn he wound,* 
When lo I forth starting at the sound, 
From underneath an aged oak, 
That slanted from the islet rock, 
A damsel guider of its way, 
A little skitf shot to the bay, t 
That round the promontory steep 
Led its deep line in graceful sweep, 
Eddying, in almost viewless wave, 
The weeping- willow twig to lave. 
And kiss, with whispering sound and slow, 
The beach of pebbles bright as snow. 
The boat had touched this silver strand, 
Just as the hunter left his stand, 
And stood concealed amid the brake, 
To view this Lady of the Lake. 
The maiden paused, as if again 
She thought to catch the distant strain. 
With head up-raised, and look intent, 
And eye and ear attentive bent, 

The reader will therefore be pleased to remember, 
that the scene of this poem is laid in a time, 
'• When tooining faulds, or sweeping of a glen, 
Had still been held the deed of gallant men." 
* (MS. — '• The bu^le shrill again he wound. 

And lo! forth starting at the sound.") 
t (MS.— "A little skifi' shot to the bay. 

The hunter left hi.s airy stand. 
And when the boat had touch'd the sand, 
Conceal'd he stood amid the brake. 
To view this Lady of the Lake.'') 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 31 

And locks flung back, and lips apart, 
Like monument of Grecian art, 
In listening mood she seemed to stand, 
The guardian naiad of the strand. 

XVIIL 
And ne'er did Grecian chisel trace* 
A Nymph, a Naiad, or a Grace, 
Of liner form; or lovelier face ! 
What though the sun, with ardent frown. 
Had slightly tinged her cheek with brown, 
The sportive toil, which short and light. 
Had dyed her glowing hue so bright, 
Served too in hastier swell to show 
Short glimpses of a breast of snow ; 
What though no rule of courtly grace 
To measured mood had trained her pace, 
A foot more light, a step more true, 
Ne'er from the heath-flower dashed the dew. 
E'en the slight hare-bell raised its head, 
Elastic from her airy tread ; 
What though upon her speech there hung 
The accents of the mountain tongue, — t 
Those silver sounds, so soft, so dear, 
The list'ner held his breath to hear. 

XIX. 
A chieftain^s daughter seemed the maid ; 
Her satin snood, t her silken plaid, 
Her golden brooch, such birth betrayed. 
And seldom was a snood amid 
Such wild luxuriant ringlets hid, 

* (MS.—" A finer form, a fairer face, 

Had never marble Nymph or Grace, 
That boasts the Grecian chisel's trace.''^ 
f (MS. — "The accents of a stranger tongue.") 
X (See Note post, on Canto iii. stanza 5.) 



32 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Whose glossy black to shame might bring 

The plumage of the raven's wing : 

And seldom, o'er a breast so fair, 

Mantled a plaid with modest care, 

And never brooch the folds combined 

Above a heart more good and kind. 

Her kindness and her worth to spy, 

You need but gaze on Ellen's eye ; 

Not Katrine, in her mirror blue, 

Gives back the shaggy banks more true, 

Than every free-born glance confessed 

The guileless movements of her breast ; 

Whether joy danced in her dark eye, 

Or wo or pity claimed a sigh. 

Or filial love was glowing there, 

Or meek devotion poured a prayer, 

Or tale of injury called forth 

The indignant spirit of the north, 

One only passion, unrevealed, 

With maiden pride the maid concealed, 

Yet not less purely felt the flame — 

O need I tell that passion's name ! 

XX. 

Impatient of the silent horn, 
Now on the gale her voice was borne ; 
" Father !" she cried ; the rocks around 
Loved to prolong the gentle sound. — 
A while she paused, no answer came, — * 
* (MS.—" A space she paused, no answer came— 
^Jilpine, was thine the blast V the name 
Less resolutely utter'd fell. 
The echoes could not catch the swell. 
' Nor foe nor friend,' the stranger said, 
Advancing from the hazel shade. 
The startled maid, with hasty oar, 
Push'd her light shallop from the shore.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 33 

•' Malcolm, was thine the blast ?" the name 
Less resolutely uttered fell, 
The echoes could not catch the swell. 
" A siranger I," the huntsman said, 
Advancing from the hazel shade. 
The maid, alarmed, with hasty oar, 
Pushed her light shallop from the shore, 
And, when a space was gained between. 
Closer she drew her bosom's screen ; 
(So forth the startled swan would swing,* 
So turn to prune his ruffled wing ;) 
Then safe, though fluttered and amazed, 
She paused, and on tlie stranger gazed ; 
Not his the form, nor his the eye, 
That youthful maidens wont to fly. 

XXI. 

On his bold visage middle age 

Had slightly pressed its signet sage. 

Yet had not quenched the open truth, 

And fiery vehemence of youth ; 

Forward and frolic glee was there. 

The will to do, the soul to dare, 

The sparkling glance, soon blown to fire, 

Of hasty love, or headlong ire. 

His limbs were cast in manly mould, 

For hardy sports, or contest bold : 

And though in peaceful garb arrayed, 

And weaponless except his blade, 

His stately mien as well implied 

A high born heart, a martial pride, 

As if a Baron's crest he wore. 

And sheathed in armor trod the shore. 

Slighting the petty need he showed, 

• (MS. — •' So o'er the lake the swan would spring 
Then tura to prune its ruffled wing.") 
3 



34 THE LADT OF THE LAKK. 

He told of his benighted road : 

His ready speech flowed fair and free, 

In phrase of gentlest courtesy ; 

Yet seemed that tone, and gesture bland, 

Less used to sue than to command. 

XXII. 
A while the maid the stranger eyed, 
And re-assured, at length replied, 
That highland halls were open siill * 
To wildered wanderers of the hill. 
" Nor think you unexpected come 
To yon lone isle, our desert home ; 
Before the heath had lost its dew, 
This morn, a couch was pulled for you ; 
On yonder mountain's purple head 
Have ptarmigan and heath-cock bled, 
And our broad nets have swept the mere, 
To furnish forth your evening cheer." 
•' Now by the rood, my lovely maid, 
Your courtesy has erred." he said ; 
" No right have T to claim misplaced 
The welcome of expected guest. 
A wanderer, here by fortune tost. 
My way, my friends, my courser lost, 
I ne'er before, believe me, fair. 
Have ever drawn your mountain air, 
Till on this lake's romantic strand, t 
I found a fay in fairy land." 

XXIII. 
** I well believe," the maid replied. 
As her light skiff approached the side, 
*' I well believe, that ne'er before, 

* (MS.-~" Her fathers^ hall was fipen still.") 

t (Mc3.— "Till on ibis lake's enchanting strand.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 35 

Your foot has trod Loch-Katrine's shore ; 
But yet. as far as yesternight, 
Old Allan-bane foretold your plight.^ 
A gray- haired sire, whose eye intent 
Was on the visioned future bent,* 

♦ (MS — " Is often on the future bent") 

If force of evidence could authorize us to believ* 
facts inconsistent with the general laws of nature, 
enough might l)e produced in favor of the existence 
of the Second-sight. It is railed in Gaelic Tatshita- 
raugk, from Taink, an unfeai or shadowy appear- 
ance ; and those possessed of ihe faculty are called 
TauhntriTU, which may be aptly translated visiona- 
ries. Martin, a steady believer m the second-sight, 
gives tl»€ following account of it : — 

" The second-sight is a singular faculty, of seeing 
an otherwise invisible object, wiihout any previous 
means used by the person that used it for that end : 
the vision makes such a lively impression upon the 
seers, that they neither sec, nor think of any thing 
else, except the vision, as long as it continues ; ani 
then they appear pensive or jovial, according to the 
object which was represented to them. 

•At the sight of a vision, the eyelids of the per- 
son are erected, and the eyes continue staring until 
the object vanishes. This is obvious to others who 
are by, when the persons happen to see a vision, and 
occurred more than once to my own observation, and 
to nlhers that were with me. 

*' There is one in Skie, of whom his acquaintance 
observed, that when he sees a vision, the inner part 
of his eyelids turns so far upwards, that, after the 
object disappears, be must draw them down with his 
fingers, and sometimes employ others to draw them 
down, which he finds to be the much easier way. 

*• This facu'.ty of the second-sight does not lineal* 
ly descend in a family, as some imagine, for I know 
several parents who are endowed with it, but their 
children not, and vice versa; neither is it acquired 
by any previous compact. And, after a strict iaqoi- 



36 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

He saw your steed, a dappled gray. 
Lie dead beneath the birchen way ; 

ry, I could never learn that this faculty was comma- 
nicable any way whatsoever. 

''The seer knows neither the object, time, nor 
place of a vision, before it appears ; and the same 
object is often seen by different persons, living at a 
considerable distance from one another. The true 
way of judging as to the time and circumstance of 
an object, is by observation ; for several persons of 
judgment, without this faculty, are more capable to 
judge of the design of a vision, than a novice that is 
a seer. If an object appear in the day or night, it 
will come to pass sooner or later accordingly. 

"If an object is seen early in the morning, (which 
is not frequent,) it will be accomplished in a few 
hours afterwards. If at noon, it will commonly be 
accomplished that very day. If in the evening, per- 
haps that night ; if after candles be lighted, it will 
be accomplished that night : the later always in ac- 
complishment, by weeks, months, and sometimea 
years, according to the time of night the visjon is 
seen. 

" When a shroud is perceived about one, it is a 
■ure prognostic of death ; the time is judged accord- 
ing to the height of it about the person ; for if it is 
seen above the middle, death is not to be expected 
for the space of a year, and perhaps some months 
longer; and as it is frequently seen to ascend high- 
er towards the head, death is concluded to be at 
hand within a few days if not hours, as daily expe- 
rience confirms. Examples of this kind were shown 
me, when the persons of whom the observations 
were then made, enjoyed perfect health. 

"One instance was lately foretold by a seer, that 
was a novice, concerning the death of one of my 
acquaintance ; this wa.« communicaied to a few 
only, and with great confidence : 1 being one of the 
number, did not in the least regard it, until the death 
of the person, about the time foretold, did confirm 
me of the certainty of the prediction. The novice 



ttfB LADY OF THE LAKK. 37 

Painted exact your form and mien, 
Your hunting suit of Lincoln green, 

mentioned above, is now a skillful seer, as appears 
from many late instances; he lives in the parish of 
St. Mary's, the most northern in Skie. 

" If a woman is seen standing at a man's left hand. 
It is a presage that she will be his wife, whether 
they be married to others, or unmarried at the time 
of the apparition. 

•• If two or tliree women are seen at once nenr a 
man's left hand, she that is next him will undoubt- 
edly be his wife first, and so on, whether all three, 
or the man, be single or married at the time of the 
vision or not ; of which there are several late in- 
stances among those of my acquaintance. It is an 
ordinary thing for them to see a man that is to come 
to the house shortly after ; and if he is not of the 
seer's acqtiaintance, yet he gives such a lively de- 
Bcription of his stature, complexion, habit, fcc, that 
upon his arrival, he answers the character given 
him in all rospecis. 

"If the person so appearing be one of the seer's 
acquaintance, he will tell his name, as well as oiiier 
particulars; and he can tell by his countenance 
whether he comes in a good or bad humor. 

"I have been seen thus myself by seers of both 
sexes, at some hundred miles' distance ; some that 
saw me in this manner had never seen me person- 
ally, and it happened accordine to their vision, with- 
out any previous design of mine to eo to those places, 
my coming there being purely accidental. 

" It is ordinary with them to see houses, gardens, 
and trees, in places void of all three; and this in 
progress of time uses to be accomplished : as at 
Mocshot, itj the Isle of Skie, where there were but 
a few sorry cowhouses, thatched with straw, yet in 
a very few years after, the vuion, which appeared 
often, was accomplished, by the building of several 
good houses on the very spot represented by the 
seers, and by the planting of orchards there. 
'*To see a spark of lire fall upon one's arm or breast 



SB THE LAi)T OF THE LAKB. 

That tasselled horn SO ga ■ ffilt. 

That falchion's crooked biade and hilt, 

That cap with heron pluma^^i trim. 

And yon two hounds so dark and grim. 

i^e bade that all should ready be, < 

To grace a guest of fair degree ; 

But light I held his prophecy, 

is the forerunner of a dead child to be seen in the 
arms of jnse persons ; of which there are several 
fresh in. .anc«?i. 

"To ste a seai empty at the time of one sitting in 
it, is a pre^agi^ of that person's death soon after. 

" When a novice, or one that has lately obtained 
ttie second-sight, sees a vision in the night time with- 
out doors, and he be near a fire, he presently falls in 
to a swoon. 

" Some find themselves as it were in a crowd of 
people, having a corpse which they carry along with 
them ; and after piich visions the seers come in 
Sweating, and describe the people that appeared ; if 
there be any of their acquaintance among 'em, ihey 
eive an account of their names, as also the bearers, 
but they know nothing concerning the corpse. 

" All those who have the second sight do not always 
«ee these visions at once, though they be togetherat 
the time. But if one who has this faculty, designed- 
ly touch his fellow-seer at the instant of a vision's 
appearing, then the second sees it as well as the 
first : and this is sometimes discerned by those that 
are near them on such occasions."— Martin's D»- 
gcription of the Western Islands^ 1716, Svo. p. 300. »i 
»eg. 

To these particulars inrumerable examples might 
be added, all attested by grave and credible authors. 
But in despite of evidence, which neither Bacon, 
Boyle, nor Johnson, were able to resist, the Taisch, 
with its visionary properties, seems to he now uni- 
versally abandoned to the use of poetry. The exqui- 
sitely beautiful poem of Lochiel will at once occuf 
to the recollection of every reader. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKK. 39 

And deem'd it was my father's horn, 
Whose echoes o'er the lake were borne." 

XXIV. 

The stranger smiled : — " Since to your home 

A destin'd errant-knight I come, 

Announced by prophet sooth and old. 

Doomed, doubtless, for achievement bold, 

ril lightly front each high emprise, 

For one kind glance of those bright eyes. 

Permit me, first, the task to guide, 

Your fairy frigate o'er the tide." 

The maid, with smile suppressed and sly, 

The toil unwonted saw him try ; 

For seldom, sure, if e'er before, 

His noble hand had grasped an oar;* 

Yet with main strength his strokes he drew, 

And o'er the lake the shallop flew ; 

With heads erect, and whimpering cry, 

The hounds behind their passage ply. 

Nor frequent does the bright oar break 

The darkening mirror of the lake, 

Until the rocky isle they reach, 

And moor their shallop on the beach. 

XXV. 

The stranger viewed the shore around ; 
'Twas all so close with copse- wood bound, 
Nor track nor pathway might declare 
That human foot frequented there. 
Until the mountain maiden showed 
A clambering unsuspected road, 
That winded through the tangled screen. 
And opened on a narrow green, 

•(MS.-" This gentle hand had grasp'd an oar : 

Yet with main strength th« oars he drew.") 



40 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Where weeping birch and willow round 
With their long fibres swept ihe ground. 
Here, for retreat in dangerous hour, 
Some chief had framed a rustic bower.* 

♦ The Celtic chieftains, whose lives were contimi- 
ally exposed to peril, had usually, in the most retired 
spot of their Uniriains, some placo of retreat for the 
hour of necessity, which as circumstances would ad- 
mit, was a tower, a cavern, or a rustic hut, in a 
strong and secluded situation. One ot these last gava 
refuge to tije unfortunate Charles Edward, in his 
perilous wanderings after the battle of Culluden. 

"It was situated in the face of a very rough, high 
and rocky mountain, culled Letternilichk, still a part 
of Benalder, full of great siones and crevices, and 
some scattered wood interspersed The habitation 
called the Cage, in ihe face of that mountain, was 
within a su)all thick bush of wood. There were first 
some rows of trees laid down, in order to level the 
floor for a habitation ; and as the place was sleep, 
this raised the lower side to an egual height with 
the other : and these trees, in the way ol joists or 
planks, were It-velled with earth and gravel. There 
were betwixt the trees, growing naturally on their 
own roots, some stakes fixed in the earth, which, 
with the trees, were interwoven with ropes, made 
of heath and birch twigs, up to the top of the Cage, 
it being of a round or rather oval shape ; and the 
whole thatched and covered over with fog. The 
wiiole fabric hung, as it were, by a large tree, which 
reclined from the one end, all along the roof, to the 
other, and which gave it the nnmeof the Cage; and 
by chance there happened to be two .«iones at a small 
distance from one another, in the side next the pre- 
cipice, resembling the pillars of a chimney, where the 
fire was placed. The smoke had its vent out here, 
all along the fall of the rock, which was so much of 
the same color, that one could discover no difference 
in the clearest day ."-Home's History of the Rebellion^ 
Lond. 1802. 4to. p. 381. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 41 
XX VI. 

It was a lodge of ample size, 

But strange of structure and device ; 

Of such materials, as around 

The workman's hand had readiest found. 

Lopped of their boughs, their hoar trunks bared, 

And by the hatchet rudely squared. 

To give the walls their destined height, 

The sturdy oak and ash unite ; 

While moss and clay and leaves combined 

To fence each crevice from the wind. 

The lighter pine-trees, overhead, 

Their slender length for rafters spread, 

And withered heath and rushes dry 

Supplied a russet canopy. 

Due westward, fronting to the green, 

A rural portico was seen. 

Aloft on native pillars borne, 

Of mountain fir with bark unshorn. 

Where Ellen's hand had taught to twine 

The ivy and Idaean vine, 

The clematis, the favored flower 

Which boasts the name of virgin bower, 

And every hardy plant could bear 

Loch-Katrine's keen and searching air. 

An instant in this porch she staid. 

And gayly to the stranger said, 

" On heaven and on thy lady call 

And enter the enchanted hall !" 

xxvn. 

" My hope, my heaven, my trust must be, 
My gentle guide, in following thee." — 
He crossed the threshold — and a clang 
Of angry steel that instant raftg. 



49 THE LADT OF THE LAKS. 

To his bold brow his spirit rushed, 

But soon for vain alarm he blushed, 

When on the floor he saw displayed, 

Cause of the din, a naked blade 

Dropped from the sheath, that careless flung 

I^pon a stag's huge antlers swung ; 

For all around, the walls to grace, 

Hung trophies of the fight or chase : 

A target there, a bugle here, 

A battle-axe, a hunting spear. 

And broadswords, bows, and arrows, store, 

With the tusked trophies of the boar. 

Here grins the wolf as when he died,* 

And there the wild-cat's brindled hide 

The frontlet of the elk adorns, 

Or mantles o'er the bison's horns; 

Pennons and flags defaced and stained, 

That blackening streaks of blood retained, 

And deer-skins, dappled, dun and white, 

With otter's fur and seal's unite, 

In rude and uncouth tapestry all, 

To garnish forth the sylvan hall. 

xxvnr. 

The wondering stranger round him gazed, 
And next the fallen weapon raised : 
Few were the arms whose sinewy strength 
Sufficed to stretch it forth at length. 
And as the brand he paused and swayed, 
*' I never knew but one," he said, 
*' Whose stalwart arm might brook to wield 
A blade like this in battle field." 

* {MS.— -"Here grina the wolf as when he died. 
There hung the wildcat's brindled hide. 
Above the elk's hranch'd brow and skull« 
And fronllet of the forest buii.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 43 

She sighed, then smiled, and took the word : 

" You see the guardian champion's sword ; 

As light it trembles in his hand, 

As in my grasp a hazel wand : 

My sire's tall form might grace the part 

Of Ferragus, or Ascabart :* 

* These two sons of Anak flourished in romantic 
fable. The first is well known to the admirers of 
Ariosto, by the name of Ferrau. He was an antag- 
onist of Orlando, and was at length slain by him in 
■ingle combat. There is a romance in the Auchin- 
leek MS., in which Ferragus is thus described :— 

" On a day come tiding. 
Unto Charts the King, 

Al of a doughti knight 
"Was cnmen to Navers, 
Stout he wao and fers, 

Vernagu he hight. 
Of Babiloun the soudan 
Thider himsendegan, 

With King Charls to fight. 
Po hard he was to-fond* 
That no dint of brond 

No greued him, aplight. 
He hadde twentie men strengthe 
And forti fet of iengthe, 

Thiike painim hede,t 
And four feet in the face, 
Y-metent in the place. 

And tifieen in brede^ 
His nose was a fot and more : 
His brow, as bristles wore ;H 

He that it seighe it sedft. 
He loked lotheliche. 
And was swart^ as any piche, 

Of him men might adrede." 
Romanee of Charlemagnt, 1. 461.-484. jSuchinltek 
MS. foi. 265. 

* Foond, proved.— t Hid. — J Meaiured. — i Breadth. — B Wm*- 
1 BUck. 



44 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

But in the absent giant's hold 

Are women now, and menials old." 

Ascapart, or Ascabart. makes a very material fig- 
ure in the history of Be vis of Hampton, by whom he 
was conquered. His effigies may be seen guarding 
one side of a gate at Southampton, while the other 
is occupied by Sir Bevis himself. The dimensionh 
of Ascabart were little inferior to those of Ferragirt. 
if the following description be correct : — 
" They metten with a geaunt. 
With a lotheliche semblaunt. 
He was wonderiiche strong, 
Rome* thretti fote long. 
His herd was bot gret and rowe :t 
A space of a fot betweene isj browe 
His clob was, to yeue$ a strok, 
A lite bodi of an oak.|| 
" Beues hadde of him wonder gret, 
And askede him what a het.TJ 
And yaf** men of his contre 
Were ase mechett ase was he. 
• Me name,' a sedeJJ ' is Ascopard, 
Garci me sent hiderward, 
For to bring this quene ayen, 
And the Beues her of-8len.$$ 
Icham Garci is |||| champioun. 
And was i-driue out of me Tllf toun 
Al for that ich was so lite.*** 
Eueri man me wolde smite, 
Ich was so lite and so merugh,t*t 
Eueri man me clepede dwerugh.tit 
And now Icham in this londe, 
I wax mor$$$ ich understonde, 
And stranger than other tene ;||I1|| 
And that schel on us be sene.' " 
Sir Bevis of Hampton. 1. 2512. AuchinUck AiS. fot. 
189. 

* Fullv. — t Rouffh. — X His. — § Give. - tl The stem of a litfla 
oak-tree.— IT He hight, was called.— ** If— tt Great— itJ He said — 
5§ Sl^X,— illl His-— 1f^ My. -- *** LitUe.- m Lean. - tJt Bvvatfc 
JJ§ Greater, taller.— yilll Ten. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 45 

XXIX. 

The mistress of the mansion came, 

Mature of age, a graceful dame ; 

Whose easy step and stately port 

Had well become a princely court, 

To whom, though more than kindred knew, 

Young Ellen gave a mother's due.* 

Meet welcome to her guest she made, 

And every courteous rite was paid, 

That hospitality could claim. 

Though all unasked his birth and name.t 

Such then the reverence to a guest, 

That fellest foe might join the feast. 

And from his deadliest foeman's door, 

Unquestioned turn, the banquet o'er. 

At length his rank the stranger names, 

" The knight of Snowdoun, James Fitz-James, 

Lord of a barren heritage, 

Which his brave sires, from age to age, 

By their good swords had held with toil : 

His sire had fallen in such turmoil, 

And he, God wot, was forced to stand 

Oft for his right with blade in hand. 

This morning with lord Moray's train 

He chased a stalwart stag in vain, 

* [IMS.-' To whom though more remote her claim, 
Young Ellen gave a mother's name."] 

+ The Highlanders, who carried hospitality to a 
punctilious excess, are said to have considered it as 
churlish, to ask a stranger his name or lineage, before 
he had taken refreshment. Feuds were so frequent 
among them, that a contrary rule would in many caa- 
ea have produced the discovery of some circumstance 
which might have excluded the guest from the bene* 
fit of the assistance he stood in need of. 



46 THE LADT OF THE LAKE. 

Outstripped his comrades, missed the deer, 
Lost his good steed, and wandered here." 

XXX. 
Fain would the knight in turn require 
The name and state of Ellen's sire : 
Well showed the elder lady's mien,* 
That courts and cities she had seen ; 
Ellen, though more her looks displayedt 
The simple grace of sylvan maid. 
In speech and gesture, form and face, 
Showed she was come of gentle race ; 
'Twere strange in ruder rank to find 
Such looks, such manners, and such mind. 
Each hint the knight of Snowdoun gave, 
Dame Margaret heard with silence grave ; 
Or Ellen, innocently gay, 
Turned all inquiry light away, 
" Weird women we ! by dale and down 
We dwell, afar from tower and town. 
We stem the flood, we ride the blast. 
On wandering knights our spells we castj 
While viewless minstrels touch the string, 
'Tis thus our charmed rhymes we sing." 
She sung, and still a harp unseen 
Filled up the symphony between. t 

* [MS.-" Well showed the mother's easy mien."] 
t{MS.-" Ellen, though more her looks betrayed 
The simple heart of mountain maid. 
In speech and pesture, form and grace. 
Showed ghe was come of genile race : 
Twas strange, in birih so rude to find 
Such /ac«, such manners, and such mind. 
Each anxious hint the stranger gave, 
The mother heard with silenre grave."] 
X •'They" (meaning the Highlanders) "delight 
much in musicke, but chiefly in harps and clairschoes 



THE LAD7 OF THE LAKE. 47 

XXXI. 

SONG. 

Soldier, rest ! thy warfare o'er, 
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking ; 

of their own fashion. The strings of the clairschoe* 
are made of brass wire, and the strings of the harp* 
of sinews: which strings they strike either with 
their nayles Rrowirig long, orelse with an instrument 
appointed for that use. They take great pleasure to 
decke their harps and clairschoes with silver and 
precious stones ; the poore ones that cannot atayne 
hereunto. decke them with cristall. They sing verses 
prettily compound, conlayning (for the most part) 
prayses of valiant men. There is not almost any oth- 
er argiiment. whereof their rhymes intreat. They 
speak the ancient French language, altered a little.'* 
— '• The harp and clairschoes are now only heard of 
in the highlands in ancient song. At what period 
these instruments ceased to he used, is not on record; 
and tradition is silent on this head. But as Irisli har- 
pers occasionally visited the Highlands and Western 
Isles till lately, the harp might have been extant so 
late as the middle of the present century. Thus far 
we know, that from remote limes down to the pres- 
ent, harpers were received as welcome guests, par- 
ticularly in the Highlands of Scotland ; and so late as 
the latter end ofthe sixteenth century, as appears by 
the above quotation, the harp was in common use 
among the natives of the Western Isles. How it hap- 
pened that the noisy and inharmonious bagpipe ban- 
ished the soft and expressive harp, we cannot say: 
but certain it is, that the bagpipe is now the only 
in.<:trument that obtains universally in the Highland 
districts." — Campbell's Journey through J^ortk 
Britain. Ix>nd. 1808, 4to. I. 175. 

Mr. Gunn, of Edinburgh, has lately published a cu- 
rious Essay upon the Harp and Harp Music of the 

* Vide "Certiyne Matters concerninf fheRealtpe of Scotland, Ice* at 
thejr were Awo Domiai 1^7. Loud. 1603." 4to. 



48 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Dream of battled fields no more, 
Days of danger, nights of waking. 

In our isle's enchanted hall, 

Hands unseen thy couch are strewing, 

Fairy strains of music fail, 

Every sense in slumber dewing. 

Soldier, rest ! thy warfare o'er, 

Dream of lighting fields' no more ; 

Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking, 

Morn of toil, nor night of waking.* 

" No rude sound shall reach thine ear, 

Armor's clang, or war-steed champing, 
Trump nor pibroch summon here 

Mustering clan, or squadron tramping : 
Yet the lark's shrill fife may come, 

At the day-break from the fallow, 
And the bittern sound his drum, 

Booming from the sedgy shallow. 
Ruder sound shall none be near. 
Guards nor warders challenge here, 
Here's no war-steed's neigh and champing 
Shouting clans or squadrons stamping." 

XXXII. 

She paused — then, blushing, led the layt 
To grace the stranger of the day. 

Highlands of Scotland. That the instrument was 
once in cominonuse there, is most certain. Cleland 
numbers an acquaintance with it among the fe.w ac- 
complishments which his satire allows to the High- 
landers :— 

'•In nothing they're accounted sharp. 
Except ill bagpipe or in harp." 
*(MS.— '* JVoon of hunger, night of waking. 

No rude sound shall rouse thine ear.") 
f (MS.—" She paused— 6«t waked again the lay.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 49 

H^r mellow notes awhile prolong 
The cadence of the flowing song, 
Till to her lips in nneasured irame 
The minstrel verse spontaneous came. 

SONG CONTINUED. 

*' Huntsman, rest ! thy chase is done. 

While our slumbrous spells assail ye,* 
Dream not, with the rising sun, 

Bugles here shall sound reveille, 
Sleep ! the deer is in his den ; 

Sleep ! the hounds are by thee lying ; 
Sleep ! nor dream in yonder glen, 

How thy gallant steed lay dying. 
Huntsman, rest ! thy chase is done, 
Think not of the rising sun, 
For at dawning, to assail ye, 
Here no bugles sound reveille." 

xxxni. 

The hall was cleared — the stranger's bed 

W'as there of mountain heather spread, 

Where oft a hundred guests had lain. 

And dreamed their forest sports agam.t 

But vainly did the heath-flower shed 

Its moorland fragrance round his head ; 

Not Ellen's spell had lulled to rest 

The fever of his troubled breast. 

In broken dreams the image rose 

Of varied perils, pains, and woes; 

His steed now flounders in the brake, 

Now sinks his barge upon the lake, 

•(MS.- ^" Slumber sweet our spells shall deal ye, 

) Let our slumbrous spells > ^vail ye. 

( 5 beguile ye.") 

t(MS.-" And dreamed their mountain chase again,") 
4 E 



50 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Now leader of a broken host, 

His standard falls, his honor's lost. 

Then, — from my couch may heavenly might 

Chase that worst phantom of the night I — 

Again returned the scenes of youth, 

Of confident undoubting truth ; 

Again his soul he interchanged 

With friends whose hearts were long estranged. 

They come, in dim procession led, 

The cold, the faithless, and the dead ; 

As warm each hand, each brow as gay, 

As if they parted yesterday. 

And doubt distracts him at the view, 

O were his senses false or true ? 

Dreamed he of death, or broken vow, 

Or is it all a vision now ?* 

* (=' Ye euardian spirits, to whom man is dear. 

From these foul demons shield the midnight 
gloom : * 

Angels of fancy and of love, be near, 

And o'er the blank of sleep diffuse a bloom : 
Evoke the sacred shades ofGreece and Rome, 

And let them virtue with a look impart ; 
But chief, awhile, O ! lend us from the tomb 
Those long-lost friends for whom in love wo 
smart, 
And till with pious awe and joy-mixt wo the 
heart. 

" Or iire you sportive 1 — hid the morn of youth 
Rise to new liglit, and beam afresh the days 
Of innocence, simplicity, and truth ; 
To cares estranged, and manhood's thorny 
ways. 
What transport, to retrace our boyish plays. 

Cyr easy bliss, when each thing joy supplied ; 
The woods, the mountains, and the warbling 
maze 
Of the wild brooks V^— Castle of Indolence, Can' 
to J.) 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 5l 

XXXIV. 

At length, with Ellen in a grove 

He seemed to walk, and speak of love ; 

She listened with a blush and sigh, 

His suit was warm, his hopes were high. 

He sought her yielded hand to clasp, 

And a cold gauntlet met his grasp. 

The phantom's sex was changed and gone, 

Upon its head a helmet shone ; 

Slowly enlarged to giant size, 

With darkened cheek and threatening eyes. 

The grisly visage, stern and hoar. 

To Ellen still a likeness bore. — 

He woke, and, panting with affright, 

Recalled the vision of the night.* 

The hearth's decaying brands were red, 

And deep and dusky lustre shed. 

Half showing, half concealing all 

The uncouth trophies of the hall. 

'Mid those the stranger fixed his eye 

Where that huge falchion hung on high, 

And thoughts on thoughts, a countless throng, 

Rushed, chasing countless thoughts along. 

Until, the giddy whirl to cure, 

He rose, and sought the moonshine pure. 

XXXV. 

The wild rose, eglantine, and broom, t 
Wasted around their rich perfume ; 

♦ *' (Such a strange and romantic dream as may 
be naturally expected to flow from the extraordinary 
events of ihe pnst day. It might, perhaps, he quoted 
as one of Mr. Scott's most successful efforts in de- 
scriptive poetry. Some few lines of it are indeed un- 
rivalled for delicacy and melancholy tenderness." — 
Critical Review.) 

* /Mfl iiuio.,--! „„ J the bosom of tho lake, 
t (Mg.-"Playd on|LochKatrine'8«iUexpansci 



52 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

The birch trees wept in fragrant balm, 

The aspen slept beneath the calm ; 

The silver light, with quivering glance, 

Played on the water's still expanse, — 

Wild were the heart whose passion's sway 

Could rage beneath the sober ray ! 

He felt its calm, that warrior guest. 

While thus he communed with his breast :— 

" Why is it, at each turn 1 trace 

Some memory of that exiled race ? 

Can I not mountain maiden spy, 

But she must bear the Douglas eye ? 

Can I not view a highland brand. 

But it must match the Douglas hand? 

Can I not frame a fevered dream. 

But still the Douglas is the theme ? 

I'll dream no more — by manly mind 

Not e'en in sleep is will resigned. 

My midnight orisons said o'er, 

I'll turn to rest, and dream no more." 

His midnight orisons he told, 

A prayer with every bead of gold, 

Consigned to heaven his cares and woes, 

And sunk in undisturbed repose ; 

Until the heath-cock shrilly crew, 

And morning dawned on Benvenue. 

The birch, the wild-roge, and the broom, 
Wasted around their rich pL-rfume . . . 
The birch trees wept in balmy dew ; 
The aspen slept on Benvenue ; 
Wild were the heart whose passion's power 
Defied the influence of the hour.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 63 



CANTO SECOND. 

THE ISLAND. 
I. 

At morn the black cock trims his jetty wing, 
'Tis morning prompts the Hnnet's bliihesl lay; 

All nature's children feel the matin spring 
Of life reviving, with reviving day ; 

And while yon little bark glides down the bay, 
Wafting the stranger on his way again, 

Morn's genial influence roused a minstrel gray, 

And sweetly o'er the lake was heard thy 
strain, 

Mixed with the sounding harp, white-haired 
Allan-bane !* 

* That highland chieftains, to a late period, retain- 
ed in their service the bard, as a faniih officer, admits 
of very easy proof The author of ilie Letters from 
the Nor'ih of Scotland, an officer of engineers, quar- 
tered al Inverness about 172Q, who certainly cannot 
be deemed a favorable witness, gives the following 
account of the office, and of a bard, whom he heard 
exercise his talent of recitation ; — 'The bard is skill- 
ed in the genealogy of all the Hiohland families, 
sonieiiuies preceptor to the young laird, celebrates in 
Irish verse the orig nal of the tribe, the famous war- 
like actions of ihe successive heads, and sings his own 
lyricksas an opiate to the chief, when indisposed for 
sleep; but poets are not equally e.^teemed and hon- 
ored in all countries. I happened to be a witness of 
the dishonor done to the muse, at the house of one 
of the chiefs, where two of these bards were set at a 
good distance, atthi lower end of a long table, with 
a parcel of Highlanders of no extraordinary appear- 
ance, over a cup of ale. Poor inspiration I They 
were not asked to drink a glass of wine at our table, 
though the whole company consisted of only the great 



^4 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

II. 

SONG. 

" Not faster yonder rowers' might 

Flings from iheir oars the spray, 
Not lasler yonder ripphng bright, 
That tracks the shallop's course in light 

Melts in the lake away, 
Than men from memory erase 
The benefits of former days ; 
Then, stranger, go! good speed the while, 
Nor think again of the lonely isle. 

'* High place to thee in royal court, 

High place in battle line, 
Good hawk and hound for sylvan sport, 
Where beauty sees the brave resort,* 

The honoured meed be thine ! 
True be thy sword, thy friend sincere, 
Thy lady constant, kind, and dear, 
And lost in love and friendship's smile 
Be memory of the lonely isle. 

man, one of his near relaiions, and myself. After 
Bome little time, the chief ordered one of tliem m 
sing me a Highland song. The bard readily obeyed, 
and with a hoarse voice, and in a tune of few vari- 
ous notes, began, as 1 was told, one of his own lyr- 
icks ; and wlieii he had proceeded to the fourth or 
fifth stanza, 1 perceived, by the names of several 
persons, |rlen>. and mountains, which I had known 
or heard of before, that it was an account of some 
cJan battle. But ir his going on, the chei (who piquea 
himself upon bis school-learning) at some particular 
passage bid him cease, and cried out, 'There's noth- 
ing like that in Virgil or Homer.' I bowed and told him 
I believed so. This you may believe was very edify- 
ing and delightful." — Letters, ii 1(37. 
* (MS.— 'At tourneys where the brave resort.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE, 55 

III. 

SONG CONTINUED. 

•' But if beneath ynn southern sky 

A plaided stranger roam. 
Whose drooping crest and stifled sigh, 
And sunken cheek and heavy eye, 

Pine for his liighland home ; 
Then, warrior, then be thine to show 
The care that soothes a wanderer's wo ; 
Remember then thy hap ere while, 
A stranger in the lunely isle. 

"Or if on life's uncertain main 

Mishap shall mar thy sail, 
If faithful, wise, and brave in vain. 
Wo. want, and exile thou sustain 

Beneath the fickle gale ; 
Waste not a sigh on fortune changed, 
On thankless courrs, or friends estranged. 
But come where kindred worth shall smile, 
To greet thee in the lonely isle." 

iv. 

As died the sounds upon the tide, 
The shallop reached the mainland side, 
And ere his onward way he took, 
The stranger cast a lingering look. 
Where easily his eye might reach 
The harper on the islet beach, 
Reclined against a blighted tree. 
As wasted, gray, and worn as he. 
To minstrel meditation given. 
His reverend brow was raised to heaven, 
As from the rising sun to claim 
A sparkle of inspiring flame. 



66 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

His hand, reclined upon the wire, 
Seemed watching the awakening fire; 
So still he sate, as those who wait 
Till judgment speak the doom of fate ; 
So still, as if no breeze might dare 
To lift one lock oi hoary hair ; 
So still, as life itself were fled, 
In the last sound his harp had sped. 

V. 

Upon a rock with lichens wild, 
Beside him Ellen sate and smiled. 
Smiled she to see the stalely drake 
Lead forth his fleet upon the lake, 
While her vexed spaniel, from the beach, 
Bayed at the prize beyond his reach. 
Yet tell me, then, the maid who knows, 
Why deepened on her cheek the rose ?— 
Forgive, forgive, 'fidelity ! 
Perchance the maiden smiled to see 
Yon parting lingerer wave adieu, 
And stop and turn to wave anew : 
And, lovely ladies, ere your ire 
Condemn the heroine of my lyre, 
Show me the fair would scorn to spy, 
And prize such conquest of her eye ! 

VI. 

While yet he loitered on the spot, 
It seemed as Ellen marked him not ; 
But when he turned him to the glade, 
One courteous parting sign she made : 
And after, oft the knight would say, 
That not when prize of festal day 
Was dealt him by the brightest fair. 
Who e'er wore jewel in her hair, 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 57 

So higMy did his bosom swell, 
As at that simple, mute farewell. 
Now with a trusty mountain guide, 
And his dark stag-hounds by his side, 
He parts — the maid, unconscious still, 
Watched him wind slowly round the hill ; 
But when his stately form was hid, 
The guardian in her bosom chid — 
" Thy Malcolm ! vain and selfish maid !" 
'Twas thus upbraiding conscience said, 
" Not so had Malcolm idly hung 
On the smooth phrase of southern tongue ; 
Not so had Malcolm strained his eye 
Another step than thine to spy. — * 
Wake, Alian-bane,"' aloud she cried, 
To the old minstrel by her side, — 
"Arouse thee from thy moody dream ! 
rU give thy harp heroic theme, 
And warm thee wiih a noble name : 
Pour forth the glory of the Grasme !"t 

* (MS.— "The loveliest Lowlai'.d fair to spy.") 
1 The ancient and powerful family of Graham 
(which, for metrical reasons, is here spelt after the 
Scotiish pronunciation) held e.xtensive possessions in 
the counties of Dumbarton and Stirling. Few fami- 
lies can boast of more historical renown, having 
claim to three of the most remarkable characters in 
the Scottish annals. Sir John the Grfeme, the faith- 
ful and undaunted partaker of the labors and patriot- 
ic warfare of Wallace, fell in the unfortunate field 
of Falkirk, in 129S. 7^he celebrated Marquis of Mon- 
trose, in whom De Relz saw realized his abstract 
idea of the lieroes of antiquity, was the second of 
these worthies. And, notwithstanding the severity 
of his temper, and the risor with which he e.xecuted 
the oppressive mandates of the princes whom he 
Bervnd, I do not hesitate to name as a third, John 
Graeme, of Claverhouse, Viscount of Dundee, whose 



53 TME LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Scarce from her lip the word had rushed. 
When deep the conscious maiden blushed : 
For of his clan, in hall and bower, 
Young Malcolm Graeme was held the flower. 

VII. 

The minstrel waked his harp — three times 
Arose the well-known martial chimes, 
And thrice their high heroic pride 
In melancholy murmurs died. 

• " Vainly thou hid'st,0 noble maid," 

Clasping his withered hands, he said, 

" Vainly thou bid'st me wake the strain, 

Though all unwont to bid in vain. 

Alas I than mine a mightier hand 

Has tuned my harp, my strings have spanned ! 

I touch the chords of joy, but low 

And mournful answer notes of wo ; 

And the proud march, which victors tread, 

Sinks in the wailing for the dead. 

O well for me, if mine alone 

That dirge's deep propiietic tone ! 

If, as my tuneful fathers said, 

I'his harp, which erst Saint Modan swayed,* 

heroic dentli in the arms ofvictory, may be allowed.fo 
cancel tlie memory of his cruelty lo the non-confor- 
mists, during the reigns of Charles II and James II. 
* I am not prepared to show that St. Modan was a 
perforni.jr on the harp. It was however, no iinsainily 
accomplishment; for Saint Dunstan certainly did plajr 
upon tliat instrument, which retaining, as was nat- 
ural, a poriion of the sanctity attached toils master's 
character, annoui ced future ''vents by its sponinneou* 
sound. *• But laboring once ill these mechanic arts 
for a devout matrons that had aeit hirn on work, his 
violl, thai hung by liim on the wall, of its own accord 
without anie man's heipe, dis'tincily sounded this an- 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 59 

Can thus its master's fate foretell, 
Then welcome be the minstreTs knell ! 
thiine : Oaudent in Cmlis animce sanctonon qui 
Christt vestigia sunt secuti ; el quia pro eius uinore 
tanguiiiem suum fuderunt. idea cum Lhristn gaudent 
(Bternum. Whereat all rhe companie being much iis» 
»on shed, turned their eyes from beholding him wurlc- 

ing, to looke on that stninge accident.' " Not 

Ion? after, manie of the court that hitherunto had 
borne a kindoffayned iriendship towards him, began 
now greatly to eiivie at his progrtsse and rising in 
eoodnes, using inanle crooked, backbiting meanes to 
diffiimi' his vertues with the black ina.-;kes of hyi>oc- 
rsie. And the better to autnorize their calumnie, 
they brought in this ihat happened m the violl, affirm- 
ing it to have been done by art magick. What 
more'? this wicked rumor encreased dayly. till the 
king and otiiers of the nobilitie tak iig ho ild thereof, 
Dunstan grevv odious in ttieir sight. Therefore he 
resolued lo leaue the court, and goe lo Eipliegus, 
siirnamed the Bauld, then bishop of Winchester, 
who was his cozen. Which his enemies understand- 
ing, they layd wayi for him in the way. and bauing 
throwne him off his horse, beate him. and dragi^ed 
him in the durt in the most miserable manner, mean- 
ing to have slaine him, had not a companie of mas- 
tine dosges, that came nnlooki nppon th'Mn. defend- 
ed and redeeme I him from their crueltie. When 
with sorrow he was ashamed to see dogges more hu- 
mane than they. And gluing thanks to Al.'niglitie 
God. he sensibly againe perciened that the tunes of 
his violl had giuen him a warning of future acci- 
dents." — Flower of the Lives of the most renowned 
Saints of Knfrtand, Scotland, and Ireland, by the R. 
Father Hierome Porter. Doway. 16:j2. 4to. Tome 
I. p. 4.-<8. 

The same supernatural circumstance is alluded to 
bv the anonymous author of " Grim, the Collier of 
Crovdon." 



•' [Duv Stan's harp sounds on the taall.] 

"Forest. Hark, hark, my lorda, the holy abbot's 
barp 



60 THE LADY OF THE LAKE, 
VIIT. 

" But ah ! dear ladj', thus it sighed 

The eve thy sainted mother died ; 

And such the sounds which, while I strove 

To wake a lay of war or love. 

Came marring all the festal mirth, 

Appalling me who gave them birth, 

And, disobedient to my call. 

Wailed loud through BoihwelPs bannered haU, 

Ere Douglasses, to ruin driven,* 

Were exiled trom their native heaven. — 

Sounds by itself so hanging on the wall ! 

'* Ihinstan. Unhallow'd man, that scorn'st tho 
sacred rede, 
Hark, liow the testimony of my truth 
Sounds heavenly music with an angel's hand, 
To testify Dunstan's integrity. 
And prove tliy active boast of no effect.'' 
* J'he downfall of the Douglasses of the house of 
Angus, during the reign of James V. is the event al- 
luded to in the text. The Earl of Angus, it will be re- 
membered, bad marriid the queen dowager, and 
availed himself of the right which he thus acquired, 
as well as of his extensive power, to retain the king 
in a sort of tutelage, which approached very nearto 
captivity. Several open attempts were made to res- 
cue James from this thraldom, with which he was 
well known lo he deeply disgusted ; but the valor of 
the Doualasses. and their allies, gave them the vic- 
tory in every conflict. At length, the king, while re- 
siding at Falkland, contrived to escape by night 
out of his own court and palace, and rode full speed 
to Stirling Castle, where the goV' rnor, who was of 
the opposite faction, joyfully received him. Being 
thus at liberty, James speedily summoned around 
him such peers as he knew to be most inimical to the 
domination of Angus, and laid his complaint before 
them, says Pitscottie, "with great lamentations; 
showing to them how he was holden in subjection, thi* 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 6f 

Oh ! if yet worse mishap and wo 
My master's house must undergo, 
Or aught but weal to Ellen fair, 
Brood in these accents of despair, 
No future bard, sad Harp ! shall fling 
Triumph or rapture from thy siring; 
One short, one final strain shall flow, 
Fraught with unutterable wo, 
Then shivered shall thy fragments lie, 
Thy master cast him down and die '." 

years bygone, by the Earl of Angus, and his kin and 
friends, who oppressed the whole country, and spoil- 
ed it. under the pretence of justice and his authority; 
and had slain many of his lieges, kinsmen and friends 
because they wonldhave hadit ii. ended at iheirhands, 
and put him at liberty, as he ought to have been, at 
the counsel of his whole lord^^, and not have been 
subjected and corrected with no particular men, by 
the res* of his nobles : Therefore, said he, I desire 
my lords, that I may be satisfied of the said earl, his 
kin, and friends ; for I avow, that Si oiland shall not 
hold us bdth, while (i. e. till) I be revenged on bim 
and his. 

" The lords hearing the king's complaint and lanj- 
entaiion, and also the great rage, fury and malice, that 
he bore toward the Earl of Angus, his kin and friends 
they concluded all, and thought it best, that he should 
be ^umnloned to underly the law; if he found no 
caution, nor yet compear himself, that he should be 
put to the horn, with all his kin and friends, so many 
as were contained in the letters. And farther the 
lords ordaint d, by advice of his maj<'sty, that his 
brother and friends, »hould besummoned to find cau- 
tion to underly the law within a certain day, or else 
be put to the horn. But the earl appeared not, nor 
none for him*: and so he was put to the horn, with 
all his kin and friends' ; so many as were contained 
in the summons, that compeared not, were banished 
and bolden traitors to the king." 



62 THE LAD7 OP THE LAKE. 



IX. 

Soothing- she answered him, "Assuage, 

Mine honoured friend, the fears of age ; 

All melodies to thee are known, 

That harp has rung, or pipe has blown, 

In Lowland vale or Highland glen, 

From Tweed to Spey — what marvel, theiii 

At times, unbidden notes should rise, 

Confusedly bound in memory's ties, 

Entangling, as they rush along, 

The war-march with the funeral song? — 

Small ground is now for boding fear ; 

Obscure, but safe, we rest us here. 

]Vly sire, in native virtue great. 

Resigning lordship, lands, and state, 

Not then to fortune more resigned. 

Than yonder oak might give the wind ; 

The graceful foliage storms may reave, 

The noble stem they cannot grieve. 

For me" — she stooped, and, looking round. 

Plucked a blue hare-bell from the ground, 

" For me, whose memory scarce conveys 

An image of more splendid days. 

This little flower, that loves the lea. 

May well my simple emblem be : 

It drinks heaven's dew as blithe as rose* 

That in the King's own garden grows ; 

And when I place it in ray hair, 

Allan, a bard is bound to swear 

He ne'er saw coronet so fair." 

Then playfully the chaplet wild 

She wreathed in her dark locks, ai;d smiled. 

* (MS,—" No blither dew-drop cheers the rose.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 63 

X. 

Her smile, her speech, with winning sway, 

Wiled the old harper's mood away. 

With such a look as hermits throw 

When angels stoop to soothe their wo, 

He gazed, till fond regret and pride 

Thrilled to a tear, then thus replied : 

*' Loveliest and best ! thou litile know'st 

The rank, the honors thou hast lost ! 

O might I live to see thee grace, 

In Scotland's court, thy birih-nght place. 

To see my favorite's step advance,* 

The lightest in the courtly dance. 

The cause of every gallant's sigh, 

And leading star of every eye. 

And theme of every minstrel's art, 

The Lady of the Bleeding Heart !' 't 

XL 

" Fair dreams are these," the maiden cried, 
(Light was her accent, yet she sighed,) 
" Yet is this mossy rock, to me 
Worth splendid chair and canopy ;I 
Nor would my footstep spring more gay 
In courtly dance than blithe strathspey. 
Nor half so pleased mine ear incline 
To royal minstrel's lay as thine : 
And then for suitors proud and high, 
To bend before my conquering eye. 
Thou flattering bard, thyself wilt say, 
That grim Sir Roderick owns its sway. 

*{This couplet is not in the MS.) 
t The well - linown cognizance of the 'Douglai 
family. 
X (MS. — " This mossy rock, my friend, to me 
Is worth gay chair and canopy.") 



64 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

The Saxon scourge, Can-Alpine's pride, 
The terror of Loch- Lomond's side, 
Would, at my suit, thou know'st, delay 
A Lennox foray — for a aay," — 

XH. 

The ancient bard his glee repressed : 
*• ill hast thou chosen theme for jest ! 
For who. through all this western wild, 
Named black Sir Roderick e'er, and smiled ? 
In fioly-Rood a knight he slew ;* 
I saw when back the dirk he drew 

* This was by no means an uncommon occurrence 
in the Court of Scotland, nay, the presence of the 
Bovereign himself scarcely restrained the ferocious 
and inveterate feuds which were the perpetual 
source of hloodshed among the Scottish nobility. 
The following instance of the murder of Sir William 
Stuart, of Ochiltree, called The Blondy, by the cele- 
brated Francis, Earl of Bothwell, may be produced 
among many ; but, as the offence given in the royal 
court will hardly bear a vernacular translatiim, I 
shall leave the story in Johnstone's Latin, referring 
for farther particulars to the naked simplicity of Bir- 
reli's Diary, 30th July, 158-. 

•• Mors improbi liominis non tam ipsa immerita, 
quani pessinio exemplo in publicum, fjede perpetrata. 
Gulielnius Stuartus Alkiltrius, Arani fraier, natura 
ac moribus, cujus sropius memini, vulgo propter si- 
teni sanguinis gaviruivarivs dicius, a Bothvelio, in 
Sanctaj Cruris Regia. exardescente ira. mendacii pro- 
bro lacessitus, obsceenum osculiim liberius retorque- 
bat ; Bothvelius banc contumeliam lacitus tulit, sed 
ingt-ntum irarnm molfui animo concepit. Utrinque 
poistride Edinhurgi conventum, totidem numero 
comitihus armatis, prsesidii causa, et acriier pugna- 
turn est; cseteris amicis et clientibus metu torpenli- 
bus, aut vi absterritis, ipse Stuartus foriissime dim- 
icati tandem exeusso giadio a Bottivelia, Scytnica 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 65 

Courtiers give place before the stride 
Of the undaunted homicide :* 
And since, tliough outlawed, hath his hand 
Full siernlv kept his mountain land. 
Who else dared give ? — ah I wo the day.t 
That I such hated truth should say — 
The Douglas, like a siricken deer, 
Disowned by every noble peer.t 
E'en the rude refuge we have here I 

feritate transfoditur, sine cujusquam misericordia, 
habuit iiaque quern debuit exiiurn. Dignus erat 
Stuartus qui pateretur ; Bothveliua qui faceret. 
Vulgus sanguinein sanguine praedicabit, et horum 
cruore innocuoruni manibus egregie parentatum." — 
Johnston! HisUnia Rerum Brilanicuium, ab anno 
1572 ad annum 1628. Amstelodanii. 1(J5.5. fol. p. 1:35. 

♦ [MS.-'- Courtiers give place with heartless stride 
Of the retiring homicide."] 

t [MS. — •■ Who else dared own the kindred claim 
That liQiind him to thy mother's name 1 
Who else darted give," &c ] 

X The exiled siate of this powerful race is not ex- 
aggerated in this and subsequent passages. The ha- 
tred of James against the race of Douglas was so in- 
veterate, that numerous as their a lies were, and dis- 
regarded as the regal authority had usually been in 
similar cases, their nearest friends, even m the most 
remote parts of Scotland, durst not entertain them, 
unless under the strictest and closest disguise. James 
Douglas, son of the banished Earl of Angus, after- 
wards well known by the title of Eatl of Morton, 
lurked diirins;: the exile of his family, in the north of 
Scotland, under the assumed name of James Innes, 
otherwise James the Orieve (i. e. Reve or Bailiff.) 
" And as he bore tiie name " says Godscroft, • so did 
he also execute the otlice of a grieve or overseer of 
the lands and rents, the corn and cattle, of him with 
whom he lived " From the habits of frugality and 
observation, which he acquired in his humble situa- 
tion, the historian traces tiiat intimate acquaintance 
5 F 



CG THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Alas, this wild marauding chief 

Alone might hazard our relief, 

And, now thy maiden charms expand, 

Looks for his guerdon in thy hand : 

Full soon may dispensation sought. 

To back his suit, from Rome be brought, 

Then though an exile on the hill, 

Thy father, as the Douglas, still 

Be held in reverence and fear ; 

And though to Roderick thouVt so dear, 

That thou might'st guide with silken thread, 

Slave of thy will, this chieftain dread. 

Yet, O loved maid, thy mirth refrain ! 

Thy hand is on a lion's mane." 

XIII. 
" Minstrel," the maid replied, and high 
Her father's soul glanced from her eye, 
•' My debts to Roderick's house I know ; 
All that a mother could bestow, 
To lady Margaret's care I owe, 
Since first an orphan in the wild 
She sorrowed o'er her sister's child : 
To her brave chieftain son, from ire 
Of Scotland's king vvho shrouds my sire, 
A deeper, holier debt is owed ; 
And, could I pay it with my blood, 
Allan ! Sir Roderick should command 
My blood, my life — but not my hand. 
Rather will Ellen Douglas dwell 
A votaress in Maronnan's cell ;* 
with popular character, which enabled him to rise so 
high in ihe slate, and that honorable economy by 
which he repaired and established the shattered es* 
lates of Aniius aiul Morton.- History of the House of 
Doufflas, Edinburah, 1743. vol. ii. p. 160. 
* The parish of Kilmaronock, at the eastern extrem- 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 67 

Rather through realms beyond the sea, 
Seeking the world's cold charity, 
Where ne'er was spoke a Scottish word, 
And ne'er the name of Douglas heard, 
An outcast pilgrim will she rove, 
Than wed the man she cannot love.* 

XIV. 
" Thou shakest, good friend, thy tresses gray- 
That pleading look, what can it say 
But what I own ? — I grant him brave, 
But wild as Bracklinn's thundering wave ;t 
And generous — save vindictive mood, 
Or jealous transport, chafe his blood; 
J grant him true to friendly band. 
As his claymore is to his hand ; 
But O I that very blade of steel 
More mercy for a foe would feel ; 
ity of Loch-Lomond, derives its name from a cell or 
chapel, dedicated to Saint Maronoch, or Marnoch, or 
Maronnan, about whose sanctity very little is now 
remembered. There is a fountain devoted to him in 
the same parish ; but its virtues, like the merits of its 
patron, have fallen into oblivion. 

* ("Ellen is most exquisitely drawn, and could 
not have been improved by contrast. She is beauti- 
ful, frank, affectionate, rational, and playful, corn* 
bining the innocence of a child with the elevated sen- 
timents and courage of a heroine." — Q_uar. Rev.) 

tThis is a beautiful cascade made by a mountain 
stream called the Keltie, at a place called the Bridge 
of Bracklinn, about a mile from the village of Cal- 
lender, in Menteith. Above a chasm, where the 
brook precipitates itself from a height of at least fifty 
feet, there is thrown, for the convenience of the 
neighborhood, a rustic foot-bridge, of about three 
feet in breadth, and without ledges, which is scarce- 
ly to be crossed by a stranger without awe and ap- 
prehension. 



68 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

I grant him liberal, to fling 

Among his clan the wealth they bring, 

When back by lake and glen they wind, 

And in the Lowland leave behind, 

Where once some pleasant hamlet stood, 

A mass of ashes slaked with blood. 

The hand that for my father fought, 

I honor, as his daughter ought ; 

But can I clasp it, reeking red. 

From peasants slaughtered in their shed ? 

No ! wildly while his virtues gleam. 

They make his passions darker seem, 

And flash along his spirit high, 

Like lightning o'er the midnight sky. 

While yet a child, — and children know, 

Instinctive taught the friend and foe,— 

I shuddered at his brow of gloom, 

His shadowy plaid, and sable plume ; 

A maiden grown, I ill could bear 

His haughty mien, and lordly air; 

But if thou join'st a suitor's claim. 

In serious mood, to Roderick's name, 

I thrill with anguish ! or, if e'er 

A Douglas knew the word, with fear. 

To change such odious theme were best, — 

What think'st thou of our stranger guest ?"— 

XV. 

*' What think I of him ? wo the while 
That brought such wanderer to our isle ! 
Thy father's battle brand, of yore 
For Tine-man forged by fairy lore,* 

* Archibald, the third Earl of Douglas, was so un- 
fortunate in all his enterprises, that he acquired the 
epithet of Tine-man, because hetined, or lost his fol- 
lowers in every batile which he fought. He was van- 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 69 

What time he leagued, no longer foes, 
His border spears with Hotspur's bows, 
Did, seli'unscabbarded, foreshow 
The footsteps of a secret foe.* 

quished, as every reader must remember, ifi the 
bloody battle of Homildon-hill. near Wooler. where 
he himself lost an eye, and was made prisoner by 
Hotspur. He was no less unfortunate when allied 
with Percy, being wounded and taken at the battle 
of Shrewsbury. He was so unsuccessful in an attempt 
to besi^L'e Rioxburah Castle, that it was called the 
Foul Raid or disgraceful expedition. Hi^ ill fortune 
left him indeed at the battle of Beauge, in France ; 
but it was only to return with double emphasis at the 
subsequent action of Vernoil. the last and most un- 
lucky of his encounters, in which he fell, with the 
flower of the Scottishchivalry, then serving as aux- 
iliaries in France, and about two thousand common 
soldiers, a. d 1424. 

♦ The ancient warriors, whose hope and confidence 
rested chiefly in their blades, were accustomed to de- 
duce omens from them, especially from such as were 
supposed lo have been fabricated by enchanted skill, 
of which we have various instances in the romances 
and legends of the time. The wonderful sword Skof- 
KUNG, wielded by the celebrated Hrolf Kraka, was 
of this description. It was deposited in the tomb of 
the monarch at his death, and taken from thence by 
Skeggo, a celebrated pirate, who bestowed it upon his 
Bon-in-law Kormak with the following curious direc- 
tions : " The manner of using it will appear strange 
to you. A small bag is attached to it, which take heed 
not to violate. Let not the rays of the sun touch the 
upper part of the handle, nor unsheathe it, unless 
thou art ready for battle. But when thou comest to 
the place of tight, go aside from the rest, grasp and 
extend the sword, and breathe upon it. Then a small 
worm will creep out of the handle : lower the handle 
that he may more easily return into it." Kormak, af- 
ter having received the sword, returned home to hi3 
siother. He showed the sword, and attempted t« 



70 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

If courtly spy haih harbored here, 
What may we for the Douglas fear ? 

draw it, as unnecessarily as ineffectually, for he 
could not pluck it out of the sheath His mother, 
Dal!a, exclaimed, ' Do not despise the counsel given 
to thee, my son ' Kormak, however, repeating liis ef- 
forts, pressed down the handle with his feet, and 
tore off the hag, when Skofnung emitted a hollow 
groan ; but still he could not unsheathe the sword, 
Kormak, then went out with Bessus, whom he had 
challenged to figlit with him, and drew apirt at the 
place of combat. He sat down upon the ground, and 
ungirding the sword which he bore above his vest- 
ments, did not remember lo shield the hilt from the 
rays of ihe sun. In vain he endeavored to draw it, 
till he placed his foot against the hilt ; then ihe worm 
issued from it. But Kormak did not lightly handle 
the wenpon, in consequence whereof good fortune 
deserted it. As he unsheathed Skofnung, it emitted 
a hollow murmur ."- Eartholina de Causis Covtempta 
a Danis adhuc Qentilibus Mortis, Libri Tres, Hufnim, 
1689, 4to p. 574. 

To the history of this sentient and prescient weap- 
on, I beg leave to add trom memory the following 
legend, for which I cannot produce any better au- 
thority. A young nobleman of high hopes and fortune 
chanced to lose his way in the town which he in- 
habited, the capital, if I mistake not, of a German 
province. He had accidentally involved himself 
among the narrow and winding streets of a suburb, 
inhabited by the lowest order of the people, and an 
approaching thunder-shower determined him to ask 
a short refuge in the most decent habitation that was 
near him. He knocked at the door, which was open- 
ed by a tall man of a grizzly and ferocious aspect 
and sordid dress. The stranger was readily ushered 
to a chamber, where swords, scourges, and ma- 
chines which seemed to be implements of torture, 
were suspended on the wall One of these swords 
dropped from its scabbard, as the nobleman, after a 
moment's he&itation, crossed the threshold. His host 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 71 

What for this island, deemed of old 

Clan-Alpine's last and surest hold? 

If neither spy nor foe, I pray. 

What yet may jealous Roderick say 

Nay, wave not thy disdainful head ! 

Bethink thee of the discord dread 

That kindled when at Beltane game 

Thou ied'st the dance with Malcolm Graeme ; 

Still, though thy sire the peace renewed, 

Smoulders in Roderick's breast the feud : 

Beware ! — But hark, what sounds are these ?* 

My dull ears catch no faltering breeze, 

No weeping birch, nor aspen's wake, 

Nor breath is dimpling in the lake, 

jnimediately stared at him with such a marked ex- 
pression, that the young nnan conid not help deniand- 
ius his name and business, and the meaning of hia 
looking at iiim so fixedly. "I am," answered the 
man, " the public executioner of this city ; and the 
incident you have observed is a sure augury that I 
shall, ill discharge of my duty, one day cut otf your 
head with the weapon which has just now sponta- 
neously unsheathed irself." The nobleman lost no 
time in leaving his place of refuge ; but engaging in 
some of the piots of the period, was shortly after 
decapitated by that very man and instrument. 

Lord Lovat is said, by ihe author of the Letters 
from Scotland, to have affirmed, that a number of 
swords that hung up in the hall of the mansion-house 
leaped of themselves out of the scabbard at the in- 
stant he was born. The story passed current among 
his clan, but like that of the story 1 have just quoted 
proved an unfortunate omen.-Letlers from Scotland, 
vol. ii. p. 214. 

* [•• The moving picture — the effect of the sounds 
— and the wild character and strong peculiar nation- 
ality of the whole procession, are given with inimit- 
able spirit and power of expression.'— Jeffkky.] 



72 THE LADV OF THE LAKE. 

Still is the canna's* hoary beard, — 
Yet by my minstrel faith, I heard — 
And hark again ! some pipe of war 
Sends the bold pibroch from afar." 

XVI. 

Far up the lengthened lake were spied 
Four darkening specks upon the tide, 
That, slow enlarging on the view, 
Four manned and masted barges grew, 
And, bearing downwards from Glengyle, 
Steered full upon the lonely isle ; 
The point of Brianchoil they passed. 
And to the windward as they cast, 
Against the sun they gave to shine 
The bold Sir Roderick's bannered pine. 
Nearer and nearer as they bear, 
Spears, pikes, and axes, flash in air. 
Now might you see (he tartans brave. 
And plaids and plumage dance and wave ; 
Now see the bonnets sink and rise, 
As his tough oar the rower plies ; 
See, flashing at each sturdy stroke, 
The wave ascending into smoke ; 
See the proud pipers on the bow, 
And mark the gaudy streamers flow 
From their loud chanterst down and sweep 
The furrowed bosom of the deep, 
As, rushing through the lake amain, 
They plied the ancient highland strain. 

XVII. 

Ever as on they bore, more loud 
And louder rung the pibroch protid. 

* Cotton-grass. 

t The pipe of the bagpipe. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 73 

At first the sound, by distance tame, 

Mellowed along the waters came, 

And lingering long by cape and bay, 

Wailed every harsher tone away ; 

Then bursting bolder on the ear, 

The clan's shrill Gathering they could hear ; 

Those thrilling sounds, that call the might 

Of old Clan- Alpine to the fight,* 

Thick, beat the rapid notes, as when 

The mustering hundreds shake the glen, 

And hurrying at the signal dread, 

The battered earth returns their tread. 

Then prelude light, of livelier tone, 

Expressed their merry marching on, 

Ere peal of closing battle rose. 

With mingled outcry, shrieks, and blows : 

And mimic din of stroke and ward. 

As broadsword upon target jarred ; 

* The connoisseurs in pipe-music aff ct to discov- 
er in a well composed pibroch,the imitative sounds of 
march, conflict, flight, pursuit, and all the " current 
of a heady fi?ht." To this opinion Dr. Beatt e has 
given his suffrage, in the following elegant passage : 
— " A pibroch is a species of tune, peculiar I think, to 
the Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland. It is 
performed on the bag-pipe, and differs totally from 
all other music. Itsrhythm is so irregular, and its 
noteS; especially in the quick movement, so mixed 
and huddled together, that a stranger finds it impos- 
sible to reconcile his ear to it, so as to perceive its 
modulation. Some of these pibrochs, being intended 
to represent a battle, begin with a grave motion, re- 
Bembliiig a march ; then gradually quicken into 
the onset; run off with noisy confusion and turi)U- 
lent rapidity, to imitate the conflict and pursuit; 
then swell into a few flourishes of triumphant joy ; 
and perhaps close with the wild and slow wailings 
of a funeral procession. "-£ssay on Laughter and Lu- 
dicrous Composition. t^dL^^. iii. Note. 



74 THE LADY OF THE LAKE, 

And groaning pause, ere yet again, 
Condensed, the battle yelled amain ; 
The rapid charge, the rallying shout, 
Retreat borne headlong into rout, 
And bursts of triumph, to declare, 
Clan-Alpine's conquest — all were there. 
Nor ended thus the strain ; but slow 
Sunk in a moan prolonged and low, 
And changed the conquering clarion swell, 
For wild lament o'er those that fell. 

xviir. 

The war-pipes ceased ; but lake and hill 
Were busy with their echoes still ; 
And, when they slept, a vocal strain 
Bade their hoarse chorus wake again, 
While loud a hundred clansmen raise 
Their voices in their chieftain's praise. 
Each boatman bending to his oar. 
With measured sweep the burden bore, 
In such wild cadence, as the breeze 
Makes through December's leafless trees. 
The chorus first could Allan know, 
" Roderick Vich Alpine, ho ! iero !" 
And near, and nearer, as they rowed. 
Distinct the martial ditty flowed. 

XIX. 

BOAT SONG-. 

Hail to the Chief who in triumph advances ! 

Honoured and blessed be the ever-greer; 
Pine ! 
Long may the tree in his banner that glances 

Flourish, the shelter and grace of our line ! 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 75 

Heaven send it happy dew, 

Earth lend it sap anew, 
Gayly to bourgeon, and broadly to grow ; 

While every highland glen 

Sends our shout back agen, 
" Roderigh Vich Alpine dhu, ho ! ieroe I''* 

* Besides his ordinary name and surname, which 
were chiefly used in the intercourse with the Low- 
lands, every Ili^'hiand Chief had an epithet expros- 
s.ve (it his patnarciial dignity as head of the clan, 
and which was common to all iiis predecessors and 
successors, as Pharaoh to the kings of Egypt, or Ar- 
saces to those of Parlhia. This name was usually 
a patronymic, expressive of his dt-sceiit from the 
founder of the family. Thus the Duke of Argyle is 
called MacCallum More, or the son 0/ CoZtnt/ic Oreat. 
Sometimes, liowever, it is derived from armorial dis- 
tinctions, or the memory of some great feat : thus 
Lord Seaforih, as chief of the Mackenzies, or Clan- 
Kennet bears the epithet of Caber-fae. or Buck^s 
Head, as representanve of Colin Fitzgerald, founder 
of the family, who saved the Scottish king when en- 
dangered by a stag. But besides this title, which be- 
longed to his office and dignity, the chieftain had 
usually another peculiar to himself, which distin- 
guished him from the chieftains of the same race. 
This was sometimes derived from complexion; as dhu 
or roy; sometimes from size, as beg or moie ; at other 
times, from some peculiar exploit, or from some pe- 
culiarity of habit or appearance. The line of the text 
therefore signifies. 

Black Roderick, the descendant of Alpine. 

The song iiself is intended as an imitation of the 
jorrams, or boat songs, of the Highlanders, which 
were usually composed in honor of a favorite chief. 
They are so adapted as to keep time with the sweep 
of the oars, and it is easy to distinguish between 
those intended to be sung to the oars of a galley, 
where the stroke is lengthened and doubled, as it 
Were, and those which were timed to the rowers of 
an ordinary boat. 



76 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Ours is no sapling, chance-sown by thefountain< 

Blooming at Beltane, in winter to fade ; 
When the whirlvvind has stripped every leaf on 
the mountain, 
The more shall Clan- Alpine exult inhershade. 
Moored in the rifled rock, 
Proof to the tempest's shock, 
Firmer he roots him the ruder it blow ; 
Menteith and Breadalbane, then, 
Echo his praise agen, 
" Roderigh Vich Alpine dhu, ho ! ieroe !" 

XX. 

Proudly our pibroch has thrilled in Glen Fruin, 

And Bannochar's groans to our slogan replied, 

Glen Luss and Ross-dhu, they are smoking in 

ruin, 

And the best of Loch Lomond lie dead on 

her side :* 

* The Lennox, as the district is called, which en 
circles the lower extremity of Loch Lomond, was pe 
culiarly exposed to the incursions of the mountain- 
eers, who inhabited the inaccessible fastnesses at 
the upper end of the lake, and the neighboring dis- 
trict of Loch Katrine. These were ofien marked by 
circumstances of great ferocity, of which the noted 
conflict of Glen-fruin is a celebrated instance. This 
was a clan battle, in which the Maceregors, headed 
by AUaster Macregor, chief of the clan, encountered 
the sept of Colquhouns, commanded by Sir Hum- 
phry Coiquhoun of Luss. It is on ail hands allovA'ed 
tliat the action was desperately fought, and that the 
Colquhouns were defeated with slaughter, leaving 
two hundred of their name dead upon the field. But 
popular tradition has added other horrors to the tale. 
It is said, that Sir Humphry Coiquhoun, who was 
on horseback, escaped to the castle of Benechra, or 
Banochar, and was next day dragged out and mur 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 77 

Widow and Saxon maid 
Long shall lament our raid, 
Think of Clan- Alpine with fear and with wo ; 

dered by the victorious Macgregors in cold blood. Bu- 
chanan of Auchniar, however, speaks, ofiiis slaughter 
as a subsequent event, and as perpetrated by the Mc- 
farlanes. Again it is reported that the iMacgregors 
murdered a number of youths, whom report of the 
intended battle had brought to be spectators, and 
whom the Colqiihouns, anxious for their safety, had 
shut up in a barn to be out of danger. One account 
of the .Macgregors denies this circumstance entirely; 
another ascribes it to the savage and bloodthirsty dis- 
position of a single individual, the bastard brother of 
the Laird of iMacgregor, who amused himself with 
this second massacre of the innocents, in express dis- 
obedience to the chief, by whom he was left their 
guardian during the pursuit of the Colquhouns. It is 
added, that Mcgregor bitterly lamented this atrocious 
action, and prophesied the ruin which it must bring 
upon their ancient clan. The follow mg account of 
the conflict, which is indeed drawn up by a friend of 
the Clan-Gregor, is altogether silent on the murder 
of the youths. "In the spring of the year lGO-2, there 
happened great dissensions and troubles between the 
I^aird of Luss.ch:ef of the Colquhouns, and Alexan- 
der, Laird of Mcgregor. The original of these quarrels 
proceeded from injuries and provocations mutually 
given and received not long before. Mac^r^'gor, how- 
ever, wanting to have thenj ended in friendly con- 
ferences, marched at the head of two hundred of his 
clan to Leven. which borders on Luss, his country, 
with a view of settling matters by the niedialion of 
friends: but Luss had no such intentions, and pro- 
jected his measures with a different view ; for he 
privately drew together a body of 3u0 horse and 5(iO 
foot, composed partly of his own clan and their fol- 
lowers, and partly of the Buchanans, his neighbors, 
and resolved to cat off Macgregor and his party to a 
man, in case the issue of the c.infi rente did not an- 
iwer his inclination. But matters fell otherwise than 



78 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Lennox and Leven-glen 
Sliake when they hear agen, 
" Roderigh Vich Alpine dhu, ho', ieroe !" 

he expected ; and though M.icgregor had previous 
information of liis insidious design, yet, dissembling 
his resentment, he kept the appointment, and parted 
good friend* iti appearance. 

" No sooner was he gone, than Lnss, thinking to 
Burprise him and his party in full security, and with- 
out any dread or apprehension of his treachery, fol- 
lowed with all speed, and came up with him at a 
place called Gienfroon. Macgregor, upon the alarm, 
divided his men into two parties, the greatest part 
whereof he commanded hijnself. and the other he 
committed to tlie care of his brother John, who, by 
his orders, led them about by another way, and at- 
tacked the Colquhouns in flank. Here, it was fought 
with great bravery on both sides for a considerable 
time ; and. notwithstanding the vast disproportion 
of numbers, Macgregor, in the end, obtained an ab- 
solute victory. So great was the rout, that 200 of the 
Colquhouns were left dead upon the spot, most of the 
leading men were killed, and a multitude of prison- 
ers taken. But what seemed most surprising and in- 
credible in this defeat, was, that none of the Mac- 
gregors were mis.sing. except John, the Laird's broth- 
er, and one common fellow, though indeed many 
of ihem were wounded,"— Professor Ross's History 
of the family of Sutherland, 163L. 

The consequencrs of the battle of Glen-fruin were 
very calamitous to the family of Macgregor, who 
had already been considered as an unruly clan. The 
widows of the slain Colquhouns, sixty, it is said, in 
number, appeared in doleful procession before the 
king at Stirling.each riding upon a white palfrey, and 
bearing in her hand the bloody shirt of her husband 
displayed upon a pike. James VL was so much mov- 
ed by the complaints of this "choir of mourning 
dames," that he let loose his vengeance against the 
Macgregors, without either bounds or moderation. 
The very name of the clan was proscribed, and tliose 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 79 

Row, vassals, row, for the pride of the high- 
lands I 
Stretch to your oars for the ever-green 
pine ! 
O ! that the rose-bud that graces yon islands 
Were wreathed in a garland around him to 
twine ! 

O that some seedling gem, 
Worthy such noble stem, 
Honoured and blessed in their shadow might 
grow ! 

by whom it had been borne were given up to sword 
and fire, and absolutely hunted down by blood- 
hounds like wild beasts. Argyle and the Campbells 
on the one hand, Montrose, with the Grahanies and 
Buchanans, on the other, are said to have been the 
chief instruments in suppressing this devoted clan. 
The Ltdrd of Macgregor surrendered to the former, 
on condition that he would take him out of Scottish 
ground. But to use Birrel's expression, he kept '"a 
Highlandman's promise ;'' and. although he fulfilled 
his word to the letter by carrying him as far as Ber- 
wick, he afterwards brought liim back to Edinburgh, 
where he was executed with eighteen of his clan. — 
BiKREL's Diary, 2d Oct. 1603. The clan Gregorbeiig 
thus driven to utter despair, seem to have renounced 
the laws from the benefit of which they were exclu- 
ded, and their depredations produced new acts of 
council confirming the severity oftlieir proscription, 
which had only the effect of rendering them still 
more united and desperate. It is a most exsraordi- 
nary proof of the ardent and invincible spirit of clan- 
ehip, that, noivvitli.standing the repeated proscriptions 
providently ordained by the legislature, ' for the 
tivieous preventive the disorders and oppression that 
may fall out by the said name and clan of Macgreg- 
ors, and their followers," they were in 1715 and 1745 
a potent clan, and continue to subsist as a distinct 
and numerous race. 



80 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Loud should Clan-Alpine then 

Ring from her deepmost glen, 

**Roderigh Vich Alpine dhu, ho ! ieroe!"* 

XXI. 

With all her joyful female band, 

Had Lady Margaret sought the strand. 

Loose on the breeze their tresses flew, 

And high their snowy arms they threw.* 

As echoing back with shrill acclaim. 

And chorus vviid, the chieftain's name ;t 

While, prompt to please, with mother's art, 

The darling passion of his heart. 

The dame called Ellen to the strand, 

To greet her kinsman ere he land ; 

*' Come, loiterer, come ! a Douglas thou, 

And shun to wreath a victor's brow !" — 

Reluctantly, and slow, the maid 

The unwelcome summoning obeyed, 

And, when a distant bugle rung, 

In the mid-path aside she sprung: — 

" List, Allan-bane ! from jnain land cast 

I hear my father's signal blast. 

Be ours," she cried, " the skifTto guide, 

And waft him from the mountain side." 

Then, like a sunbeam, swift and bright, 

She darted to her shallop light, 

* (" However we may dislike the geographical song 
andchorus, half Enqlish and half Erse, which is sung 
in praise of ihe warrior, we must allow that in oth- 
er respects, the hero of a poem has seldom, if ever 
been iittrodiiced with finer efTect, or in a manner 
better calculated to excite the expectations of the 
reader, than on the present occasion." — CrilicalHe* 
view.) 
T (MS.—" The chorus to the chieftain's /ome.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 81 

And, eagerly while Roderick scanned, 
For her dear form, his mother's band, 
The islet far behind her lay. 
And she had landed in the bay. 

XXII. 

Some feelings are to mortals given, 

With less of earth in them than heaven : 

And if there be a human lear 

From passion's dross refined and clear, 

A tear so limpid and so meek, 

It would not stain an angel's cheek, 

'Tis that which pious faihers shed 

Upon a duteous daughter's head ! 

And as the Douglas to his breast 

His darling Ellen closely pressed. 

Such holy drops her tresses steeped, 

Though 'twas a hero's eye that weeped. 

Nor while on Ellen's faltering tongue* 

Her filial welcomes crowded hung. 

Marked she that fear (affection's proof) 

Still held a graceful youth aloof; 

No ! not till Douglas named his name, 

Although the youth was Malcolm Graeme. 

XXIII. 
Allan, with wistful look the while. 
Marked Roderick landing on the isle ; 

* [MS.— "Nor while on Ellen's faltering tongue 
Her (ilial greetings ea^er hung, 
Mark'd not that awe (affection's proof) 
Still held yon genl!e youth aloof; 
No ! not till Douglas named his name, 
Although the youth was Malcolm Graeme. 
Then with flushed cheek, and downcast eye^ 
Their greeting was confused and sAy.") 



eS THE LADY OF THE t,>KS 

His master piteously he eyed, 
Then gazed upon the chieftain's pride, 
Then dashed, with hasty hand, away 
From his dimmed eye the gathering sp: V . 
And Douglas, as his hand he laid 
On Malcolm's shoulder, kindly said, 
" Canst ihou, young friend, no meaning spj 
fn my po/^r follower's glistening eye ? 
I'll tell thee : — he recalls the day. 
When in my praise he led the lay 
O'er the arched gate of Bothwel! proud, 
While many a minstrel answered loud, 
When Percy's Norman pennon, won 
In bloody field, before me shone. 
And twice ten knights, the least a name 
A3 mighty as yon chief may claim. 
Gracing my pomp, behind me came. 
Yet trust me, Malcolm, not so proud 
Was I of all that marshalled crowd, 
/fhough the waned crescent owned my migbi 
And in my train trooped lord and knight, 
Thoush Blantyre hymned her holiest lays, 
And Bothwell's bards flung back my praisft, 
As when this old man's silent tear, 
And this poor maid's affection dear, 
A welcome give more kind and t\ae, 
Than aught my better fortunes kn^.w. 
Forgive, my friend, a father's boust i 
O ! it out-beggars all I lost !" 

XXIV. 

Delightful praise I — like suipthct rose, 
That brighter in the dew d^op glowr. 
The bashful maiden's cheek appe?ie(^, 
For Douglas spoke, and Malcolm hfcard. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 83 

The flush of shame-faced joy to hide, 
The hounds, the hawk, her cares divide: 
The loved caresses of the maid 
The dogs with crouch and whimper paid ;* 
And, at her whistle, on her hand 
The falcon took, his favourite stand, 
Closed his dark wing, relaxed his eye. 
Nor, though unhooded, sought to fly. 
And, trust, while in such guise she stood, 
Like fabled goddess of the wood,t 
That if a father's partial thought 
O'er weighed her worth and beauty aught, 
Well might the lover's judgment fail 
To balance with a juster scale ; 
For with each secret glance he stole, 
The fond enthusiast sent his soul. 

XXV. 

Of stature tall, and slender frame, 

But firmly knit, was Malcolm Graeme. 

The belted plaid and tartan hose 

Did ne'er more graceful limbs disclose ; 

His flaxen hair, of sunny hue. 

Curled closely round his bonnet blue. 

Trained to the chase, his eagle eye 

The ptarmigan in snow could spy : 

Each pass, by mountain, lake, and heath, 

He knew, through Lennox and Menteith ; 

Vam was the bound of dark brown doe, 

When Malcolm bent his sounding bow, 

And scarce that doe, though winged with fear, 

Out-stripped in speed the mountaineer : 

* (MS.-" The dogs with whimpering' notes repaid.*') 
t [MS.-" Like fabled huntress of the wood.") 



84 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Right up Ben-Lomond could he press, 
And not a sob his toil confess. 
His form accorded with a mind 
Lively and ardent, frank and kind ; 
A blither heart, till Ellen came, 
Did never love nor sorrow tame; 
It danced as lightsome in his breast, 
As played the feather on his crest. 
Yet friends who nearest knew the youth, 
His scorn of wrong, his zeal for truth, 
And bards, who saw his features bold, 
When kindled by the tales of old, 
Said, were that youth to manhood grown, 
Mot long should Roderick Dhu's renown 
Be foremost voiced by mountain fame, 
But quail to that of Malcolm Graeme. 

XXVI. 

Now back they wend their watery way. 
And, " O my sire !" did Ellen say, 
" Why urge thy chase so far astray ? 
And why so late returned ? And why"— 
The rest was in her speaking eye. 
" My child, the chase I follow far, 
*Tis mimicry of noble war ; 
And with that gallant pastime reft 
Were all of Douglas I have left. 
I met young Malcolm as I strayed 
Far eastward, in Glenfinlas' shade. 
Nor strayed I safe : for all around, 
Hunters and horsemen scoured the ground. 
This youth, though still a royal ward, 
Risked life and land to be my guard, 
And through the passes of the wood 
Guided my steps not unpursued ; 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 85 

And Roderick shall his welcome make, 
Despite old spleen, for Douglas' sake. 
Then must he seek Strath-Endrick glen, 
Nor peril aught for rae agen." — 

XXVII. 

Sir Roderick, who to meet them came, 
Reddened at sight of Malcolm Graeme. 
Yet, not in action, word, or eye, 
Failed aught in hospitality. 
In talk and sport they whiled away 
The morning of that summer day ; 
But at high noon a courier light 
Held secret parley with the knight ; 
Whose moody aspect soon declared. 
That evil were the news he heard. 
Deep thought seemed toiling in his head ; 
Yet was the evening banquet made. 
Ere he assembled round the flame, 
His mother, Douglas, and the Graeme, 
And Ellen, too ; then cast around 
Kis eyes, then fixed them on the ground, 
As studying phrase that might avail. 
Best to convey unpleasant tale. 
Long with his dagger's hilt he played. 
Then raised his haughty brow, and said : 

XXVIII. 
" Short be my speech : — nor time affords, 
Nor my plain temper, glozing words. 
Kinsman and father, — if such name 
Douglas vouchsafe to Roderick's claim ; 
Mine honored mother ; — Ellen — why, 
My cousin, turn away thine eye ? 
And Graeme ; in whom I hope to know. 
Full soon a noble friend or foe, 



86 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

When age shall give thee ihy command, 
And leading in thy native land — 
List all ! — the king's vindictive pride 
Boasts to have tamed the border-side,* 
Where chiefs, with hound and hawk who came 
To share their monarch's sylvan game. 
Themselves in bloody toils were snared, 
And when the banquet they prepared, 

* In 1529, James V. made a convention at Edin- 
burgh, for the purpose of considering iht best mode 
of quelling the Border robbers, who during the li- 
cense of his minority, and the troubles wiiich follow- 
ed, had committed many exorbitances. Accordingly 
he assembled a flying army of ten thousand men, 
consistinL' of his principal nobility and iheir follow- 
ers, who were directed to bring their hawks and 
dogs with them, that the monarch miglit refresh him- 
self with spoit during the intervals of military exe- 
cution. With this array he swept through Ettrick 
Forest, where he hanged over the gate of his own 
castle. Piers Cockburn of Henderland, who had pre- 
pared, according to tradition, a feast forMs reception. 
He caused Adam Scott otTushielaw also to be exe- 
cuted, who was distinguished by the tiile of King of 
the Border. But the most noted victim of justice, 
during that expedition, was John Armstrong of Gil- 
nockie-t famous in Scottish song, who, confiding in 
his own supposed innocence, met the king with a 
retinue of thirty-six persons, all of whom were hang- 
ed at Carhnrig, near the source of the Teviot. The 
effect of this severity was such, that, as the vulgar 
expressed it, "the rush- bush kept the cow," and 
" thereafter was great peace and rest a long time, 
wherethrough the King had great profit ; for he had 
ten thousand sheep going in' the Eitrick Forest in 
keeping by Andrew Bell, who made the King as good 
count of them as they had gone on the bounds of 
Fife." — PiTscoTTiE's Histoiy, p. 153. 

•f (See Border Minstrelsy.) 



T«E LADY OF THE LAKE. 87 

Art* wide theii loyrl portals flung, 
O'ei iheir oww %at«3way struggling hung. 
Loud cries their blocd from Meggat's mead, 
From Yarrow braes, ai)d banks of Tweed, 
Where the lone streams ot Ettrick glide. 
And from the silver Teviot's side ; 
The dales where martial clans did ride* 
Are now one sheep- walk waste and wide. 
This tyrant of the Scottish throne, 
So faithless and so ruthless known, 
Now hnher comes ; his end the same, 
The same pretext of sylvan game. 
What grace for highland chiefs judge ye, 
By fate of border chivalry. t 

* [MS.— "The dales where clans were wont to 
bide."] 

t James was. in fact, equally attentive to restrain 
rapine and feudal oppression in every part of his 
dominions. 'TheKin^' pasi to the I>ies and there 
held justice courts, and punished both thief and trai- 
tor according to their demerit. And also he caused 
great men to show their holdings, wherethrough he 
found many of the said lands in non-entry; the 
which heconnscateaiid broughlhoine to hisown use, 
and afterwards annexed ihem to the crown, as ye 
shall hear. Syne l-rought many of the great men of 
the isles captive with him,su(h as Mudyart, M'Con- 
nel, MXoydof the Lewes, .M'Neil. M'Lane, M'Intosh, 
John Mudyart, M'Kiiy, M'Kenzie. wiin many others 
that 1 cannot rehearse ai this Jinie. Some of them he 
put in ward and some in court, and some he took 
pledges for good rule in time coming. So he brought 
the isles both north and south, in good rule and 
peace; wherefore he had great profit, service, and 
obedience of people a long time thereafter ; and as 
long as he liad the heads of the country in subjection 
they lived in great peace and rest, and there was 
great riches and policy by the king's justice."— PiT- 

tlCOTTIE, p. 152. 



88 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Yet more ; arnid Glenfinlas' green, 
Douglas, thy stately form was seen. 
This by espial sure I know ; 
Your counsel in the streight I show."— 

XXIX. 

Ellen and Margaret fearfully 

Sought comfort in each other's eye, 

Then turned their ghastly look, each one, 

This to her sire, that to her son. 

The hasty color went and came 

In the bold cheek of Malcolm Graeme : 

But from his glance it well appeared, 

'Twas but for Ellen that he feared ; 

While sorrowful but undismayed, 

The Douglas thus his counsel said: 

*' Brave Roderick, though the tempest roar, 

It may but thunder and pass o'er ; 

Nor will 1 here remain an hour, 

To draw the lightning on thy bower ; 

For well thou know'st at this gray head 

The royal bolt was fiercest sped. 

For thee, who at thy King's command, 

Canst aid him with a gallant band, 

Submission, homage, humbled pride, 

Shall turn the monarch's wrath aside. 

Poor remnants of the Bleeding Heart, 

Ellen and I will seek, apart, 

The refuge of some forest cell. 

There, like the hunted quarry, dwell, 

Till on the mountain and the moor, 

The stern pursuit be past and o'er," 

XXX. 

•' No, by mine honor," Roderick said, 
*' So help me heaven, and my good blade! 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 89 

No, never ! blasted be yon pine, 

My fathers' ancient crest and mine, 

If from its shade in danger part 

The hneage of the Bleeding Heart ! 

Hear my blunt speech : grant me this maid 

To wife, thy counsel to mine aid ; 

To Douglas, leagued with Roderick Dhu, 

Will friends and allies flock enow ; 

Like cause of doubt, distrust and grief, 

Will bind to us each Western Chief, 

When the loud pipes my bridal tell 

The Links of Forth shall hear the knell, 

The guards shall start in Sterling's porch; 

And, when I light the nuptial torch, 

A thousand villages in flames 

Shall scare the slumbers of King James! 

— Nay, Ellen, blench not thus away, 

And, mother, cease these signs, I pray; 

I meant not all my heart might say. — 

Small need of inroad, or of fight, 

When the sage Douglas may unite 

Each mountain clan in friendly band, 

To guard the passes of their land, 

Till the foiled king, from pathless glen,* 

Shall bootless turn him home agen." 

XXXI. 

There are who have, at midnight hour, 

In slumber scaled a dizzy tower, 

And, on the verge that beetled o'er 

The ocean-tide's incessant roar. 

Dreamed calmly out their dangerous dream, t 

Till wakened by the morning beam : 
» (MS.— "Till the foil'd king, from hill and glen.") 
t(MS. — " Dream'd calmly out their desperate 

dream.") 

H 



90 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

When, dazzled by the eastern slow, 

Such startler cast his glance below, 

And saw unmeasured depth around, 

And heard unintermitted sound, 

And liioughl the battled fence so frail, 

It waved like cobweb in the gale ; 

Amid his senses' giddy wheel. 

Did he not desperate impulse feel, 

Headlong to plunge himself below, 

And meet the worst his fears foreshow ?— 

Thus, Ellen, dizzy and astound, 

As sudden ruin yawned around, 

By crossing terrors wildly tossed, 

Still for the Douglas fearing most, 

Could scarce the desperate thought withstand, 

To buy his safety with her hand. 

XXXII. 

Such purpose dread could Malcolm spy 
In Ellen's quivering lip and eye, 
And eager rose to speak — but ere 
His tongue could hurry forth his fear, 
Had Douglas marked the hectic strife, 
Where death seemed combating with life ; 
For to her cheek, in feverish flood, 
One instant rushed the throbbing blood, 
Then ebbing back, with sudden sway 
Left its domain as wan as clay. 
" Roderick, enough ! enough I" he cried, 
" My daughter cannot be thy bride ; 
Not that the blush to wooer dear, 
Nor paleness that of maiden fear. 
It may not be — forgive her. Chief, 
Nor hazard aught for o\ir relief. 
Against his sovereign, Douglas ne'er 
Will level a rebellious spear. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 91. 

'Twas I that tanght his youthful hand 
To rein a steed and wield a brand ; 
I see him yet, the princely boy ! 
Not Ellen more my pride and joy : 
I love him still, despite my wrongs. 
By hasty wrath and slanderous tongues. 
O seek the grace you well may find, 
Without a cause to mine combined." 

XXXIII. 

Twice through the hall the Chieftain strode ; 
The waving of his tartans broad. 
And darkened brow, where wounded pride 
With ire and disappointment vied, 
Seemed, by the torch's gloomy light, 
Like the ill Demon of the night. 
Stooping his pinions' shadowy sway 
Upon the nighted pilgrim's way : 
But, unrequited Love ! thy dart 
Plunged deepest its envenomed smart, 
And Roderick, with thine anguish stung, 
At length the hand of Douglas wrung, 
While eyes, that mocked at tears before, 
With bitter drops were running o'er. 
The death pangs of long-cherished hope 
Scarce in that ample breast had scope. 
But, struggling with his spirit proud. 
Convulsive heaved its checkered shroud, 
While every sob — so mute were all — 
Was heard distinctly through the hall. 
The son's despair, the mother's look, 
111 might the gentle Ellen brook ; 
She rose, and to her side there came, 
To aid her parting steps, the Graeme. 



93 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

XXXIV. 

Then Roderick from the Douglas broke— 
As flashes flame through sable smoke, 
KindHng its wreaths, long, dark, and low, 
To one broad blaze of ruddy glow, 
So the deep anguish of despair* 
Burst, in fierce jealousy, to air. 
With stalwart grasp his hand he laid 
On Malcolm's breast and belted plaid : 
" Back, beardless boy !" he sternly said, 
" Back, minion ! hold'st thou thus at naught 
The lesson I so lately taught ? 
This roof, the Douglas, and that maid, 
Thank thou for punishment delayed." 
Eager as greyhound on his game. 
Fiercely with Roderick grappled Graeme.t 
" Perish my name, if aught aflford 
Its Chieftain safety, save his sword !" 
1'hus as they strove, their desperate handj 
Griped to the dagger or the brand, 
And death had been — but Douglas rose, 
And thrust between the struggling foes 
His giant strength : — '' Chieftains, forego ! 
I hold the first who strikes, my foe. — ^ 

* [MS.—" The deep-toned anguish of despair 
Flush'd in fierce jealousy, to air."] 

t ["There is something foppish and out of charac- 
ter in Malcolm's rising to lead out Ellen from her 
own parlor; and the sort of wrestling match that 
takes place between the rival chieftains on the occa- 
sion, is humiliating and indecorous." — Jeffrey.] 

X [MS. — "Thus as they strove, each better hand 
Orasp'd for the dagger or the brand."] 

^ The Author has to apologize for the inadvertent 
appropriation of a whole line from the tragedy of 
Douglas. 



THE LADT OF THE LAKE. 93 

Madmen, forbear your frantic jar ! 

What ! is the Douglas fallen so far, 

His daughter's hand is doomed the spoil 

Of such dishonourable broil !" 

Sullen and slowly they unclasp,* 

As struck with shame, their desperate grasp, 

And each upon his rival glared, 

With foot advanced, and blade half bared. 

XXXV. 

Ere yet the brands aloft were flung, 
Margaret on Roderick's mantle hung. 
And Malcolm heard his Ellen's scream, 
As faltered through terrific dream. 
Then Roderick plunged in sheath his sword, 
And veiled his wraih in scornful word. 
" Rest safe till morning ; pity Uwere 
Such cheek should feel the midnight air !t 

" I hold the first who strikes, my foe." 
(Note to the second edition.) 

* (MS. — " Sullen and slow the rivals bold 

Loosed at his hest their desperate hold, 
But either stili on other glared " &c.) 

t Hardihood was in every respect so essential to 
the character of a Highlander, that the reproach of 
effeminacy was the most bitter that could be thrown 
upon him. let it was sometimes hazarded on what 
we might presume to think slight grounds. It is re- 
ported of old Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel when 
upwards of seventy, that he was surprised by night 
on a hunting or military expedition. Fie wrapped him 
in his plaid, and lay contentedly down upon the snow 
with which the ground happened to be covered. 
Among his attendants, who were preparing to take 
their rest in the same manner, he observed ihat one 
of his grandsons, for his better accommodation, had 
loi'.ed a large snow-ball, and placed it below his head. 
The wrath of the ancient chief was awakened by a 



94 THE LADY OF THK LAKE. 

Then mayest thou to James Stewart tell, 
Roderick will keep the lake and fell, 

symptom of what he conceived to be degenerate lux- 
ury. 'Out upon thee," said he, kicking the frozen 
bolster from the head which it supported,' art thou so 
etfeminate as to need a pillow'?" The officer of engi- 
neers, whose curious letters from the Highlands have 
been more than once quoted, tells a similar story of 
Macdonald of Keppoch and subjoins the following 
remarks : — " Ttiis and many other stories are roman- 
tic : but there is one timig, that at first thought 
might seem very romantic, of which I have been 
credibly assured, tlvat when the Highlanders are 
constrained to lie among tlie hills, in cold dry windy 
weather, they someiimes soak the plaid in some riv- 
er or burn, (i. e. brook,) and then, holding up a corner 
of it a little above their heads, they turn themselves 
round and round, till they are enveloped by the whole 
mantle. Tiiey then lay themselves clown on the heath 
upon the Keward side of some hiil, where the wet 
and the warmth of their bodies make a steam, like 
that of a boiling kettle. The wet they say, keepa 
them warm by thickening the stuff, and keeping the 
wind from penetrating. I must confess I should have 
been apt to question this fact, had 1 not frequently 
seen them wet from morning to nglit. and, even at 
the begiiming of the rain, not so much as stir a few 
yards to shelter, but continue in it without necessity, 
till they were, as we say, wet through and through. 
And that is soon effected by the looseness and spon- 
ginessof the plaiding ; but llie bonnet is frequently 
taken off, and wrung like a dishclout, and then put on 
again. They have been accustomed from their infan- 
cy to be often wet, and to take the water like span- 
iels, and this i.s become a second nature, and can 
scarcely be called a hardship to them, insomuch that 
I used to say, they seemed to be of the duck kind, and 
to love water as well. Though 1 never saw this pre- 
paration for sleep in windy weather, yet, setting out 
early in a morning from one of the huts, I have seen 
ttie marks of their lodging,where ibe ground has been 



THE LADT OF THE LAKE. 9b 

Nor lackey, with his freeborn clan, 

The pageant pomp of earthly man. 

More would he of Clan-Alpine know, 

Thou canst our strength and passes show,— 

Malise, what ho !" — his henchman came ;* 

" Give our safe-conduct to the Graeme." 

Young Malcolm answer'd, calm and bold, 

" Fear nothing for thy favorite hold ; 

The spot, an angel deign'd to grace, 

Is blessed, though robbers haunt the place. 

Thy churlish courtesy for those 

Reserve, who fear to be thy foes. 

As safe to me the mountain way 

At midnight as in blaze of day, 

free from rirne or snow, which remained all around the 
epot where thev had lain." — Letters from Scotland- 
Lond. 17.54. 8vo". ii. p. 108. 

* "This officer is a sort of secretary, and is to be 
ready, upon all occasions to venture liis life in de- 
fence of his master ; and at drinking bouts he stands 
behind his seat, at his haunch from whence his title 
is derived, and watches the conversation, to see if 
any one offends his patron. An English offirer being 
in company with a certain chieftain, and several 
other Highland gentlemen, near Killichumen. had an 
argument with the ^7-eaf man.* and boih being well 
warmed with nsky tat last the dispute grew very 
hot. A youth wlio vv;is henchman, not under- 
standing one word of English, imagined his chief was 
insulted, and thereupon drew a pistol from his side 
and snapped it at the officer's head ; but !he pistol 
nii«sed tire, oth'^rwise it is more than probable he 
might have suffered death from the hand of that lit- 
tle vermin. But it is very disagreeable to an English- 
man over a bottle, with the Highlanders, to see ev- 
ery one have his gilly. that is. his servant, standing 
behind him all the while, let what will be the .subject 
Of conversation."— ie«erA-/rom Scotland. ii.l59. 
t Whisky 



96 THE LADY OF THE LAKE, 

Though with his boldest at his back, 
Even Roderick Dhu beset the track.— 
Brave Douglas, — lovely Ellen, — nay, 
Nought here of parting will I say. 
Earth does not hold a lonesome glen. 
So secret, but we meet agen. — 
Chieftain ! we too shall find an hour."— 
He said, and left the sylvan bower. 

XXXVI. 

Old Allan follow'd to the strand, 

(Such was the Douglas's command,) 

And anxious told, how, on the morn, 

The stern Sir Roderick deep had sworH. 

The Fiery Cross should circle o'er 

Dale, glen, and valley, down, and moar. 

Much were the peril to the Graeme, 

From those who to the signal came ; 

Far up the lake 'twere safest land. 

Himself would row him to the strand. 

He gave his counsel to the wind, 

While Malcolm did, unheeding, bind, 

Round dirk and pouch and broadsword roll'd. 

His ample plaid in tighten'd fold, 

And stripp'd his limbs to such array, 

As best might suit the watery way, — • 

XXXVH. 
Then spoke abrupt : " Farewell to thee, 
Pattern of old fidelity !" 
The minstrel's hand he kindly press'd,— 
" O ! could I point a place of rest ! 
My sovereign holds in ward my land, 
My uncle leads my vassal band ; 
To tame his foes, his friends to aid, 
Poor Malcolm has but heart and blade. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 97 

Yet, if there be one faithful Graeme, 
Who loves the Chieftain of his name, 
Not long shall honoured Douglas dwell, 
Like hunted stag in mountain ceil ; 
Nor, ere yon pride swoU'n robber dare,— 
I may not give the rest to air ! 
Tell Roderick Dhu, I owed him nought, 
Not the poor service of a boat, 
To waft me to yon mountain-side." 
Then plunged he in the flashing tide.* 
Bold o'er the flood his head he bore, 
And stoutly steer'd him from the shore ; 
And Allan strain'd his anxious eye, 
Far 'mid the lake his form to spy. 
Darkening across each puny wave, 
To which the moon her silver gave, 
Fast as the cormorant could skim. 
The swimmer plied each active limb ; 
Then landing in the moonlight dell, 
Loud shoured of his v.ea\ to tell. 
The Minstrel heard the far halloo. 
And joyful from the shore withdrew. 



CANTO THIRD. 

THE GATHERING. 

L 

Time rolls his ceaseless course. The race of 
yore.t 
Who danced our infancy upon their knee, 

*[Mf*. — "He spoke and plunged into the tide."] 
t'(" There are no separate introductions to the 
cantos of this poem; but each of them begins with 
one or two stanzas in the measure of Spenser, usu- 
7 I 



98 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

And told our marvelling boyhood legends store 
Of their strange ventures happ'd by land or 
sea, 
How are they blotted from the things that be ! 

How few, all weak and wither'd of their force, 
Wait on the verge of dark eternity, 
Like stranded wrecks, the tide returning 
hoarse, 
To sweep them from our sight Time rolls hia 
ceaseless course. 

Yet live there still who can remember well, 

How, when a mountain chief his bugle blew, 
Both field and forest, dingle^ cliff and dell, 

And soli;ary heath, the signal knew ; 
And fast the faithful clan around him drew, 
What time the warning note was keenly 
wound, 
What time aloft their kindred banner flew, 
While clamorous war-pipes yell'd the gather- 
ing sound, 
And while the Fiery Cross glanced, like a me- 
teor, round.* 

ally containing some reflections connected with the 
subject aboiit to be entered on ; and written, for the 
inosi part, with great tenderness and beauty. The 
following, we tliink is among the most striking." — 
Jeffrkv.) 

* When a chieftain designed to summon his clan, 
upon any sudden or important emergency, he slew a 
goat, and makns: a cross of any ligbi wood, seared 
its extremities in the fire, and extinguisht'd them in 
the blood of the animal. This was called the Fiery 
Cross, also Crean Tarigh, or the Cross of Shame, be- 
cause disobedience to what the symbol implied, in- 
ferred infamy. It was delivered to a swift and trusty 
messenger, who ran full speed with it to the next 
hamlet, where he presented it to the principal per- 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 99 

ir. 

The suramer dawn's reflected hue 
To purple changed Loch Katrine blue ; 

eon, with a single word, implying the place of ren- 
dezvous He who received the symbol was bound to 
send it forward with equal despatch, to the next vil- 
lage ; and thus it passed with incredible celerity 
through all the district, which owed allegiance to the 
chief, and also among his allies and neighbors, if the 
danger was common to them. At sight of the Fiery 
Cross, every man, from sixteen years old to sixty, 
capable of bearing arms, was obliged to repair in his 
best arms and accoutrements, to the place of rendez- 
vous. He who failed to appear suffered the extremi- 
ties of fire and sword, which were emiilematically 
denounced to the disobedient by the bloody and burnt 
marks upon this warlike signal. During the civil war 
of 1745-6, the Fiery Cross often made its circuit ; and 
upon one occasion it passed through the whole dis- 
trict of Breadlabane, a tract of thirty-two miles, in 
tliree hours. The late Alexander Stewart, Esq. of 
Invernahyle, described to me his having sent round 
the Fiery Cross through the district of Appine, during 
the same commotion. The coast was threatened by 
a descent from two English frigates, and the flower 
of the young men were with the army of Prince 
Charles Edward, then in England; yet the summons 
was so effeciudi that even old age and childhood 
obeyed it : and a force was collected in a few hours, 
so numerous and enthusiastic, that all attempt at the 
intended diver^iion upon the country of the absent 
warriors was in prudence abandoned, as desperate. 

This practice, like some others, is common to the 
Highlanders with the ancient Scandinavians, as will 
appear by the following extract from Olaus Mag- 
nus : — 

" When the enemy is upon the sea-coast, or with- 
in the limits of northern kinsdomes, then presently 
by the command of the principal governors, with the 
counsel and consent of the old soldiers, who are no- 



100 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Mildly and soft the western breeze 

Just kiss'd the lake, just stirr'd the trees, 

And the pleased lake, like maiden coy, 

Trembled but dimpled not for joy ; 

The mountain-shadows on her breast 

Were neither broken nor at rest ; 

In bright uncertainty they lie, 

Like future joys to Fancy's eye. 

The water-Illy to the light 

Her chalice rear'd of silver bright ; 

tably skilled in such like business, a staff of three 
hands lengthen the common sight of them all, is car- 
ried, by the speedy running of some active young 
man, unto that village or city with this command, — 
that on the 3. 4. or 8th day, one, two or three, or else 
every man in particular, from 15 years old, shall come 
with fiis arms, and expenses for len or twenty days, 
upon pain that his or their houses shall be burnt, 
(which is intimated by the burning of the staff,) or 
else the master to be hanged, (which is signified by 
the cord tied to it,) to appear speedily on such a bank 
or field, or valley, to hear the cause he is called, and 
to hear orders from the said provincial governors 
what he shall do. Wherefore that messenger, swifter 
than any post or waggon, having done liis commision 
comes slowly back again, bringing a token with him 
that he hath done all legally; and every moment one 
or another runs to every village, and tells those pla- 
ces what they must do." — "The messengers, 

therefore, of the footmen, that are to give warning 
to the people to meet for the battail, run fiercely and 
swiftly; for no snow, no rain, nor heatcan stop them, 
nor night hold them ; but they will soon run the race 
they undertake. The first messenger tells it to the 
next village, and that to the next ; and so the hubbub 
runs all over till they all know it in that stiff or ter- 
ritory, where, when, and wherefore they must meet.* 
— Olaus Magnus, History of the Goths, englisbed by 
J. S. Lond. 1658, bookiv. chap3,4. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 101 

The doe awoke, and to the lawn,* 
Begemm'd with dew drops, led her fawn ; 
The gray mist left the mountain side, 
The torrent show'd its glistning pride ; 
Invisible in flecked sky, 
The lark sent down her revelry ; 
The blackbird and the speckled thrush 
Good-morrow gave from brake and bush ;t 
In answer coo'd the cushat dove 
Her notes of peace, and rest, and love. 

III. 

No thought of peace, no thought of rest, 
Assuaged the storm in Roderick's breast. 
Wiih sheathed broadsword in his hand, 
Abrupt he paced the islet strand, 
And eyed the rising sun, and laid 
His hand on his impatient blade. 
Beneath a rock, his vassals' caret 
Was prompt the ritual to prepare. 
With deep and deaihful meaning fraught; 
For such Antiquity had laught 
Was preface meet, ere yet abroad 
The Cross of Fire should take its road. 

♦ (MS. — " The doe awoke, and to the lawn, 

Begemm'd with dewdrops, led her fawn; 
Invisible in fleecy cloud, 
The lark sent down her matins loud ; 
The light mist left," &c.) 

(t " The green hills 

Are clotlied with early blossoms ; through the grass 
The qnick-eyed lizard rustles, and the bills 
Ofsummer birds sing welcome as ye pass."— CAiW« 
Harold] 
i (MS. — '• Hard by, his vassals' early care 
The mystic ritual prepare.") 



102 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

The shrinking band stood oft aghast 
At the impatient glance he cast ; — 
Such glance the nmountain eagle threw. 
As, from the cliffs of Benvenue, 
She spread her darl^ sails on the wind, 
And, high in middle heaven reclined, 
With her broad shadow on the lake. 
Silenced the warblers of the brake. 

IV. 

A heap of wither'd boughs was piled, 
Of juniper and rowan wild, 
Mingled with shivers from the oak, 
Rent by the lightning's recent stroke. 
Brian, the Hermit, by it stood. 
Barefooted, in his frock and hood, 
His grisled beard and matted hair 
Obscured a visage of despair; 
His naked arms and legs, seam'd o'er, 
The scars of frantic penance bore. 
That monk, of savage form and face,* 
The impending dariger of his race 

* The state of religion in the middle ages afforded 
considerable facilities for those whose mode of life 
excluded them from regular worship, to secure, nev- 
ertheless, the trhostly assistance of confessors, per- 
fectly willing to adapt the nature of their doctrine to 
the necessities and peculiar circumstances of their 
flock. Robin Hood, it is well known, had his cele- 
brated dome.-tic chaplain. Friar Tuck. And that same 
curial friar was probal)ly matched in manners and 
appearance by the ghostly fathers of the Tynedale 
rolibers, who are thus described in an excommiinica- 
tion fulminated against their patrons by Richard 
Fox, Bishop of Durham, tempore Henrici VIII. " We 
have further understood, that there are many chap- 
lains inthe said territories of Tynedale and Kedesdale 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 103 

Had drawn from deepest solitude, 
Far in Benharrow's bosom rude. 

who are public and open maintainers of conciibinagp; 
irregiilar, suspend.^d, excommunicated and interdic- 
ted persons, and withal so utterly ignorant of letters, 
that it lias been found by those who objected this to 
*them, that there were some. who. havng celebrated 
mass for ten ye;irs, were still un ible to read the 
sacramental service. We have also understood there 
are persons amoiig them who, although not crdained, 
do take tipon them the offices of priesthood ; and, in 
contempt of God. celebrate the divine and sacred 
rites, and administer the sacraments, iiotonly in sa- 
cred and dedicated places, but in those which are 
proiane and interdicted, and most wretchedly ruin- 
ous ,• they thenjselves being att.red in ragged, torn, 
and most filthy vestments, altosether uiifit lo be used 
in divine, or even in temporal offices. The which said 
chaplains do administer sacraments and sacrament- 
al rites to the aforesaid manifest and infamous 
thieves, rolihers, depredators, receivers of stolen 
goods, and plunderers, and that wi:hout restituti.)!!, 
or iiueniion to restore, as evnced by the art ; and do 
also openly admit them to the riles uf ecclesiastiial 
sepulchre, without e.\acting security for restitution, 
allhougli they are prohibited from doing so by the 
sacred canons, as well as by the institutes of the 
saints and fathers. All whicli infers the heavy peril 
of their own souls, and is a pernicious example lo the 
other believers in Christ, as well as no slishi. but an 
aggravated injury, to the numbers despoiled and 
plundered of their goods, gear, herds and chat.els."* 
To this lively and picturesque description of the 
confessors and churchmen of predatory tribes, there 
may be added some curious particulars respecting 
the priests attached to the several septs of native 
Irish, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. These 
friars had indeed to plead, that the incursions, which 

* The Monition against the Robbers of Tynedale and Redesdale, with 
■which I was favored by my friend, Mr, Surtees of Mainforth, may be 
found in the original Latin, in the Appendix to the Introduction to tha 
Border MinstreUy, No. VU. 



104 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Not his the mien of Christian priest, 
But Druids, from the grave released, 

they not only pardoned, but even eiiconraged, were 
made upon those hostile to them, as well in religion 
as from national aniipaihy ; Imt by Protestant wri- 
ters they are uniformly alleged lo be the chief instru- 
ments of Irish insurrection, the very well spring of 
all rebellion towards the English government. Lith- 
gow, the Scottish traveler, declares the Irish wood- 
kerne, or predatory tribes, to be hut the hounds of 
their hunting pnet^ls, who directed their incursions 
by their pleasure, partly for sustenance, partly to 
gratify animosity, partly to foment general division, 
and always for the better security and easier domi- 
nation of the friars* Derrick, the liveliness and min- 
uteness of whose descriptions may frequcnily apolo- 
gize for his dogj^erel verses, after describing an Irish 
feast, and the encoiiragenu-nt given by the songs of 
the bards, to its termination in an incursion upon 
the parts of the country more immediately under the 
dominion of ihe English, records the no less power- 
ful arguments used by the friar to excite tlieir ani- 
mosity: 

** And more t' augment the flame, 

and rancour of their iiearte, 
The frier of his counsells vile, 

to rehelles doth imparte, 
Affirming that it is 

an almost deede to God, 
To make the English subjectes taste 

The Irish rebells' rodde. 
To spoile. to kill, to burne, 

this frier's counsell is ; 
And for the doing of the same, 

he warrantes heavenlie blisse. 
He tells a holie tale ; 

the white he tournes lo blacke : 
And through the pardons in his male^ 

he workes a knavish knacke." 

« Lilhgow's Travels, fint edit p. 431. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 105 

Whose harden'd heart and eye might brook 
On human sacrifice to look ; 

The wreckful invasion of a part of the English pale 
is then described with some spirit ; the burning of 
houses, driving: off cattle, and all pertaining to such 
predatory inroads, are illustrated by a rude cut. The 
defeat of the Irish, by a party of English soldiers 
from thenext garrison, is then conimemoriited. and 
in like manner adorned with an engraving, in which 
the friar is exhibited mourning ovei the slain chief- 
tain ; or, as the rubric expresses it, 
"The frier then, that treacherous knave, with ough 

ough-hone lament. 
To see his cousin Devil's son to have so foul event." 
The matter is handled at great length in the text, 
of which the following verses are more than suffi- 
cient sample : — 

"The frier seyng this 

lamentes that luckless parte, 
Andcurseth to the pitte of hell 

the death man's siurdie harte ; 
Yet for to quight them with 

the frier taketh paine, 
For all the synnes that ere he did 

remission to obtaine. 
And therefore serves his booke, 

the candell and the hell ; 
But think you that such apishe toies 

bring damned souls from hell? 
It 'longs not to my parte 

infernall things to knowe ; 
But I believe till later daie. 
thei rise not from belowe. 
Yet hope that friers give 

to this rebellious rout. 
If thai their souls should chaunce in hell, 

to bring them quicklie out, 
Doelh make them lead suche lives, 

as neither God nor man, 
Without revenge for their desartes, 
permitte or suffer can. 



106 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

And much, 'twas said, of heathen lore 
Mix'd in the charms he muttered o'er. 

Thus friers are the cause, 

the fountain, and the spring, 
Of hurleburles in this lande, 

ofeclip unhappie thing. 
Tliei cause them to rebeil 

against their soveraigiie quene, 
And through rebellion often tymes, 

their lives doe vanishe cleane, 
So as by frier's meanes, 

in whom all foilie swimme, 
The Irishe karne dne often lose 
the life, with hedde and limme."* 
As the Irish tribes, and those of the Scottish High- 
lands, are nnich more intimately allied, by language, 
manners, dress, and customs, than the antiquaries of 
either couiiiry have been willing to admit, 1 flatter 
myself I have liere produced a strong warrant for the 
character sketched in the text. The following picture 
though of a different kind, serves to establish the ex- 
istence of ascetic religionists, to a comparatively late 
period, in the Higlilandsand Western Isles. There is 
a great deal of simplicity in the description, for which 
as for much similar information, I am obliged to Dr. 
John Martin, who visited the Hebrides at liie sugges- 
tion of Sir Robert Sibbald, a Scottish antiquarian of 
eminence, and early in the eighteenth century pub- 
lished a description of them which procured him ad- 
mission into the Royal Society. He died in London 
about 1719. His work is a strange mi.xture of learn- 
ing, observation, and gross credulity. 

'■ I remember," says this author, "I have seen an old 
lay-capnchin here, (in the island of Benliecula,) call- 
ed in tht-ir language Brahir-bocht, that is, Poor 
Brother ; which is literally true ; for he answers this 
character, having nothing but what is given him : he 

* This curious Picture nf Ireland was inserted by the author in the re ■ 
publication of Soniers' Tracts, vol. i., in which the plates have also been 
inserted, from the only impressions known to exist, belonging to the 
«opy in the Advocates' Library. See Somers' Tracts, vol. i, pp. 591. 594. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 107 

The hallow'd creed gav« only worse* 

And deadlier emphasis of curse : 

No peasant sought that Hermit's prayer, 

His cave (he pilgrim shunned with care, 

The eager huntsman knew his bound. 

And in mid chase called off his hound ; 

Or if, in lonely glen or strath, 

The desert-dweller met his path, 

He pray'd, and signed the cross between, 

While terror took devotion's mien.t 

holds himself fully satisfied with food and rayment, 
and lives in as great simplicity as any of his order ; 
his diet is very mean, and lie drinks only t'liir water : 
his habit is no less mortifying than that of his breth- 
ren elsewhere ; he wears a short coai. which comes 
no farther than his middle, with narrow sleeves like 
a waistcoat ; he wenrs a plad above it, girl about the 
middle, which reaches to his knee ; th« plad is fast- 
ened on liis breast with a wooden pin, his neck bare, 
and his feet often so too ; he wears a hat for orna- 
ment; and the string about it is a bit of a fisher's line 
made of horse-hair. This plad he wears instead of a 
gown worn by those of his order in other countries. 
I told him he warned the flaxen girdle that men of his 
order usually wear ; he answered me that he wore a 
leathern one, which was the same thing. Upon the 
matter, if he is spoke to when at meat, he answers 
again ; which is contrary to the custom of his order. 
This poor man frequently diverts himself with ang- 
ling of irouts ; he lies upon straw, and has no bell (as 
others have) to call him to his devotions, but only his 
conscience, as he told me."— Martin's Description 
of the Western Highlands, p. 82. 

*[MS. — " While the bless'd creed gave only 
worse."] 

t (MS. — " He pray'd, with many a cross betweeiit 
And terror took devotion's mien.") 



108 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 
V. 

Of Rrian's birih strange tales were told.* 
His mother vvatch'd a midnight fold, 

*The legend whirh follows is not of the author's 
invention. It is possible he may differ from modern 
critics, in supposing that the records of human super* 
stiiioii, if peculiar to, and characteristic of, the coun- 
try ill which the scene is laid, are a legitimate subject 
of poetry. IJe gives, however, a ready assent to the 
narrower preposition which condemns all attempts 
of an irregular and disorder, d fancy to excite terror, 
by accumulating a train of faiitasiic and incgherent 
horrors, wheiher borrowed from all countries, and 
patched upon a narrative belonging to one which 
knew them not or derived from the author's imagina- 
tion. In the present case, iliereioie. I appeal to the 
record which I have described, with the variation of 
a very few words, from the geogr;iphical collections 
made by the Laird of Macfarlane. I know not wheth- 
er it be necessary to remark, that the niistellaneoiis 
concourse of yomhs and maidens on the night and on 
the spot where the miracle is said to have taken 
place, might, even in a credulous age, have c-omewhat 
diminished the wonder which accompanied the con- 
ception of Gilli-Doir-Mag-revollich. 

"There is but two niyles from Inverloghie, the 
church oiKilmaleo. in Loghyeld. In ancier.t tynies 
there was ane church builded upon ane hill, which 
was above this church, which doeth now stand in 
this toune ; and ancient men doeth say that there waa 
a batteil foughten on ane little hill not the tenth part 
of a niyle from this church be certaine men which 
they did not know who they were. And long lyme 
tiiereafter certaine herds of that toune, and of the 
next toune. called Uimait, both wenches and youthes 
did on a tyme convene with others on that hill ; and 
the day being someM'iiat cold, did gather the bones of 
the dead men that were slayne long tyme before in 
that place, and did make a fire to warm them. At last 
they did ail remove from the fire, except one maid or 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 109 

Built deep within a dreary glen, 
Where scatter'd lay the bones of men, 
In some forgotten battle slain, 
And bleach'd by drifting wind and rain. 
It might have tamed a warrior's heart,* 
To view such mockery of his art ' 
The knot-grass fetter'd there the hand, 
Which once could burst the iron band ; 

wench, which was verie cold, and she did remaine 
there for a space-. She being qiiyetlie her alone, with- 
out anie other companie, took up her cloaths above 
her knees, or thereby, to warm her ; a wind did come 
and caste the ashes upon her, and she was conceived 
of ane man-chyld. Several tyines thereafter she was 
verie sick, and at last she was known to be with 
chyld. And thi-n her parents did ask at her the inat- 
ler heiroff, which the wench could not weel answer 
which way to satisfie them. At last she resolved 
them with ane answer. As fortune fell upon her con- 
cerning this marvelous miracle, the cliild being borne, 
his name was called Oili-doir-Maffh-revullich, that 
is to say. the Black C^Ud, Son to the Bones. So called, 
his grandfather sent him to schooll, and so he was a 
good schollar, and godlie. He did build this church 
which doetli now stand in Lochyeld, called Kilma- 
Ue." — Macfarlane, ut supra, ii. 18b'. 
* [" Tliere is something of pride in the perilous 
hour, 
Whate'er be the shape in which death may 

lower ; 
For Fame is tliere to say who bleeds, 
And Honor's eye on daring ileeils ! 
But when all is past, it is humblinst to tread 
O'er the weltering field of the tombless dead, 
And see worms of the earth, and fowls of the 

air, 
Beasts of the forest, all gathering there : 
All regarding man as their prey. 
All rejoicing in his decay."— Byron— SeV^-e of 
Corinth.) 



110 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Beneath the broad and ample bone, 
That buckler'd heart to fear unknown, 
A feeble and a timorous guest, 
The field-fare framed her lowly nest ; 
There the slow blind- worm left his slime 
On the fleet limbs that mock'd at time ; 
And there, too, lay the leader's skull,* 
Still wreathed with chaplet, flush'd and full. 
For heath-bell, with her purple bloom, 
Supplied the bonnet and the plume.t 
AH night in this sad glen the maid 
Sate, shrouded in her mantle's shade ; 
—She said, no shepherd sought her side, 
No hunter's hand her snood untied, 
Yet ne'er again to braid her hair 
The virgin snood did Alice wear ;t 

* [" Remove yon skull from out the scatter'd heaps. 
Is that a temple where a god may dwell ? 
Why, even the worm at last disdains her shat» 

ter'd cell: 
I/Ook on its broken arch, its ruin'd wall. 
Its chambers desolate, and portals foul ; 
Yet this was once Ambition's airy hall, 
The dome of thought, the palace of the soul ; 
Behold through each lack-lustre, eyeless hole, 
The gay recess of wisdom and of wit. 
And passion's host, that never brook'd control; 
Can all saint, sage, or sophist ever writ, 
People this lonely tower, this tenemei't refitV* 
Childe Harold) 
\ (" These reflections on an ancient field of battle 
afford the mo^t remarkahle instance of false taste in 
all Mr. Scott's writings. Yet the brevity and variety 
of the images serve well to show, that even in his 
errors there are traces of a powerful genius." — Jkf- 

FKEV.] 

t Thfe snood, or riband, with which a Scottish lasg 
braided her hair, had an emblematical signification, 
and applied to her maiden character. It was exchange 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE 111 

Gone was her maiden glee and sport, 
Her maiden girdle all too short, 
Nor sought she, from that fatal night, 
Or holy church or blessed rite, 
But lock'd her secret in her breast, 
And died in travail, unconfessed. 

vr. 

Alone, among his young compeers, 
Was Brian from his infant years ; 
A moody and heart broken boy, 
Estranged from sympathy and joy, 
Bearing each taunt which careless tongue 
On his mysterious lineage flung. 
Whole nights he spent by moonlight pale, 
To wood and stream his hap to wail, 
Till, frantic, he as truth received* 
What of his birth the crowd believed. 
And sought, in mist and meteor fire, 
To meet and know his Phantom Sire I 
In vain, to soothe his wayward fate, 
The cloister oped her pitying gate : 

ed for the cjjrcA, toy, orcoif.when she passed, by mar- 
riage, into the matron state. But if the damsel was 
so unfortunate as to lose pretentions to the name of 
maiden, without paining a righi to that of matron, 
she was neither permitied to use the snood, nor ad- 
vanced to tiie graver dignity of the curch In old 
Scottish songs there occur many sly allusions to such 
♦ misfortune ; as in the old words to the popular tune 
of "' Ower the niuir amang the heather " 

** Down amang the broom, the broom, 
Down amang the broom my dearie, 
The lassie lost her silken snood, 
, >!;» Thai gard her greet till she was wearie." 

■_i.« • (MS. — "Till, driven to frenzie, he believed 
T^ The legend of his birth received."] 



J 12 THE LADY OF THE LAKE 

In vain the learning of the ago 

Unclasp'd the sable-letter'd p.iire ; 

Even in its treasures he could find 

Food for the fever of his mind. 

Eager he reads whaiever tells 

Of magic, cabala, and spells. 

And every dark pursuit allied 

To curious and presumptuous pride ; 

Till with fired brain and nerves o'erstrung, 

And heart with mystic horrors wrung, 

Desperate he sought Benharrow's den, 

And hid him from the haunts of men. 

VII. 
The desert gave him visions wilti. 
Such as might suit the Spectr*e's child,* 

*In adopting the legend concernins the birth of the 
Foundf;r of tlie Churcli of Kilmalie, the autlior haa 
endravored to trace tlie effects wliicli such a belief 
was likely to produce, in a barbarous af,'e, on the per- 
son lo whom it related. It seems likely that he must 
have hecoirtfi a fanatic or impostor, or that mixture 
of both which forms a more frequent chiiracter than 
eithpr of ihem. as existing separately. In truth, mad 
persons are frequtntly more anxious to impress upon 
others a faith in their visions, than they are tliem- 
selves confirmed in their reality; as, on the other 
liand it is difticult for the most cool-headed impostor 
Jong to personate an enihusiast, without in some de- 
gree believing what he is so eager to have believed. 
It was a natural attribute of such a character as the 
supp.osed hermit, that he should credit the numerous 
superstitions with which the minds of ordinary High- 
landers are almost always imbued. A few of these 
are alluded to in this stanza. The River Demon, or 
River-harse. for it is that I'orm which he commonly 
assumes, is the Kelpy of the Lowlands, an evil and 
malicious spirit, delighting to forebode and to witness 
calamity. He frequents most. Highland lakes and 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 113 

Where with black cliffs the torrents toil, 
He watch'd the wheeling eddies boil, 
Till, from their foam, his dazzled eyes 
Beheld the River-Demon rise : 
The mountain mist took form and limb 
Of noontide hag, or goblin grim ; 
The midnight wind came wild and dread, 
Swell'd with the voices of the dead; 
Far on the future •batile-heaih 
His eye beheld the ranks of death ; 
Thus the lone Seer, from mankind hurl'd, 
Shaped forth a disembodied world. 
One lingering sympathy o( mind 
Still bound him to the mortal kind ; 
The only parent he could claim 
Of ancient Alpine's lineage came. 
Late had he heard in prophet's dream, 
The fatal Ben-Shie's boding scream ;* 

rivers; and one of his most qiemorable exploits was 
performed upon the bnnks of Loch Vennachar. in tlie 
very district which forms the scene of our action : it 
consisted in the destruciion cf a funeral proctssion, 
witli all its attendants. Tlie "noon-tide hag," called 
in Gaelic fi^/rts-Zir/t, a tall, emaciated, gigantic female 
fisriire, is supposed in particular to haunt the district 
ofKnoidart. A goblin dressed in antique armor, and 
having one hand covered with lilood, called, from 
that circumslawve,, Hh^m-deariT, or Red hand, is a 
tenant of tlie forests of Glenmore and Rothiemurcus. 
Other spirits of the desert, all friiihlful in shape and 
malignant in disposition, are believed to frequent 
different mountains and glens of the Highlands, 
where any unusual appearance, produced by mist, or 
the strange lights tiial are sometimes thrown upon 
particular objects, never fails to present an appari- 
tion to the iniHsination of the solitary and meJan- 
Choly mountaineer. 
* [MS.— "The fatal Ben.shie's dismal scream ; 
8 K 



lid THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Sounds, too, had come in midnight blast, 
01' charging steeds, careering fast 
Along Benharrow's shingly side, 
Where mortal horseman ne'er might ride ;* 

And seen her wrinkled form, the sign 
Of wo and deaih to Alpine's line."] 

Most great families in the Highlands were suppoa* 
ed to have a, tutelar, or rather a domestic spirit, at# 
taciied to ihem, who took an interest in their pros- 
perity, and iniimated, by its wailings, any approach- 
ing disaster. That of Grant of (irant was ciil\e.d May 
Moullach, and appeared in the form of a girl, who had 
her arm covered with hair. Grant of Rothiemurcus 
had an attendant called Bodach-an-dun. or the Ghosl 
of the Hill ; and many otlier exaujples might be men- 
tioned. The Ben-Scliie implies a female Fairy, 
whose lamentations were often supposed to precede 
the death of a chieftain of particular families. When 
she is visible, it is in the furm of an ofd woman, with 
a blue mantle and streaming hair. A superstition of 
the same kind i;;, I believe, universally received by 
tile inferior ranks of the native Irish. 

The death of the head of a Highland family is also 
sometimes supposed to he announced by a chain of 
lights of different colors, called I)r''euff, or death of 
the Druid. The direction which il takes, marks the 
place of the fiineral. (See the Essay on Fairy Super- 
stitions in the Border Minstrelsy ) 

* A presige of the kind alluded to in the text, la 
still believed to announce death to the ancient High- 
land family of MLean of Lochbuy. The spirit of an 
ancestor slain in battle is heard to gallop along a 
stony bank, and ihen to ride thrice around the fami- 
ly residence, ringing his fairy bridle, and thus inti- 
mating the approaching calamity. How easily the 
eye as well as the ear may be deceived upon such oc- 
casions, is evident from the stories of armies in the 
air, and other spectral phenomena with which history 
abounds. Such an apparition is said to have been 
witiiess^-d upon the side of Southfell Mountain, ba-. 
tween Penrith and Keswick, upon the 23d June, 1744, 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 115 

The thunderbolt had split the pine, — 
All augur'd ill to Alpine's line. 

by two persons, William Lancaster of Blakehills, and 
Daniel Stricket his servant, whose attestation to the 
fact, with a full account of the apparition, dated the 
21st of July, 1745, is printed in Clarke's Survey of the 
Lakes. The apparition consisted of several troops of 
horse moving in regular order, with a steady rapid 
motion, making a curved sweep around the fell, and 
seeming to the spectators to disap()ear over the ridge 
of the mountain. Many persons witnessed this phe- 
nomenon, and observed the last, or last but one, of 
the supposed troop, occasionally leave his rank, and 
pass at a gallop to the front, when he resumed the 
same steady pace. This curious appearance, making 
the necessary allowance for imagination, maybe 
perhaps sufficiently accounted for by optical decep- 
tion. — Survey of the Lakes- p. 25. 

Supernatural intimations of appronching fate are 
not I believe confined to Highland famil es. Howel 
mentions having seen at a lapidary's in 1632, a mon- 
umental stone, prepared for four persons of the name 
of Oxenham. before the death of each of whom, the 
inscription stated a while bird lo have appeared and 
fluttered around the bed. while the patient was in the 
last agony. Familiar Letters, edw. 11-2Q. 247. Glanvile 
mentions one family, the members of which received 
this solemn sign by music, the sound of which floated 
from the family residence, and seemed to die in a 
neighboring wood ; another, that of Captain Wood 
of Bampton, to whom the signal was given by knock- 
ing. But the most remarkable instance of the kind 
occurs in the MS. Memoirs of Lady Fanshaw, so ex- 
emplary for her conjugal aff"ection! Her husband. Sir 
Richard, and she, chanced, during their abode in Ire- 
land, to visit a friend, the head of a sept, who resided 
in his ancient baronial castle, surrounded with a 
moat. Ai midnight she was awakened by a ghastly 
and supernatural scream, and, looking out of bed be- 
held, by the moonlight, a female face and pari of the 
form, hovering at the window. The distance from the 



116 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

He girt his loins, and came to show 
The signals of impending wo, 
And now stood prompt to bless or ban, 
As bade the Chieftain of his clan. 

VIII. 
'Twas all prepared ; — and from the rock, 
A goat, the patriarch of the flock, 
Before the kindling pile was laid, 
And pierced by Roderick's ready blade. 
Patient the sickening victim eyed 
The life-blood ebb in crimson tide, 
Down his clogg'd beard and shaggy limb, 
Till darkness glazed his eyeballs dim. 

ground, as well as the circumstance of the moat, ex- 
cluded the possibility that what she beheld was of 
this world The face was that of a young and rather 
liandsome woman, but pale ; and the hair which wa3 
reddish, was loose and dishevelled. The dress, which 
Lady Fanshaw's terror did not prevent her remark- 
ing accurately, was that of the ancient Irish. This 
apparition cniinued to exhibit itself for some timcj 
and Iht-n vanished with two shrieks, similar to that 
which at first attracted Lady Fanshaw's attention. In 
the morning, with infinite terror, she communicated 
to her host what she had witnessed, and found him 
prepared not only to credit but to account for the ap- 
parition. " A near relation of my family," said he, 
'■■ expired last niiiht in this castle. We disguised our 
certain expectation of the event from you, lest it 
should tiirow a cloud over the cheerful reception 
which was due you. Now, before such an event hap- 
pens in this family and castle, the female spectre 
whom you have seen always is visible. She is believ- 
ed to be the spirit of a woman of inferior rank, whom 
one of my ancestors degraded himself by marrying, 
and whom afterwards to expiate the dishonor dona 
hi.? family, he caused to be drowned in the castle 
moat." 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 117 

The grisly priest, with murmuring prayer, 
A slender crosslet form'd with care, 
A cubit's length in measure due ; 
The shaft and limbs were rods of yew, 
Whose parents in Inch-Cailhach wave* 
Their shadows o'er Clan- Alpine's grave, 
And, answeriog Lomond's breezes deep, 
Soothe many a chieftain's endless sleep. 
The Cross, thus form'd, he held on high, 
With wasted hand, and haggard eye. 
And strange and mingled feelings woke. 
While his anathema he spoke. 

IX. 
" Wo to the clansman, who shall view 
This symbol of sepulchral yew. 
Forgetful that its branches grew 
Where weep the heavens their holiest dew 
On Alpine's dwelling low ! 
* Inck-Cailliach, the Isle of Nuns, or of Old Women, 
is a most beautiful island at the lower extremity of 
Loch Lomond, The church belonging to the former 
nunnery was Ions: used as the place of worship for 
the parish of Buchanan, hut scarce any vestiges of it 
now remain. The buriil ground continues to be used, 
and contains the family pluces of sepulture, of sev- 
eral neighboring clans. The monuments of the lairds 
of Macgregor, and ofol+ier families, claiming a de- 
scent from the old Scottish King Alpine, are most re- 
markable. The Highlanders are as zealous of their 
rights of sepulture, as muy be expected from a peo- 
ple, whose whole laws and government, if clanship 
can be called so, turned upon the smgle principle of 
family descent. " May his ashes be scatter'd on the 
water,"' was one of the deepest and most solemn im- 
precations which they used against an enemy. [See 
a detailed description of the funeral ceremonies of a 
Highland chieftain in The Fair Maid of Perth, Wavev' 
ly Jfovels, vol. v. chaps, x. and xi.] 



118 THE LADY OF THE LAEB. 

Deserter of his Chieftain's trust, 
He ne'er shall mingle with their dust, 
But, from his sires and kindred thrust, 
Each clansman's execration just* 

Shall doom him wrath and wo." 
He paused ; — the word the vassals took, 
With forward step and fiery look, 
On high their naked brands they shook, 
Their clattering targets wildly strook ;t 

And first m murmur low, 
Then, like the billow in his course, 
That far to seaward finds his source. 
And flings to shore his muster'd force, 
Burst, with loud roar, their answer hoarse, 

" Wo to the traitor, wo !" 
Ben-an's gray scalp the accents knew, 
The joyous wolf Irom covert drew. 
The exulting eagle screamed afar, — 
They knew the voice of Alpine's war. 

X. 

The shout was hush'd on lake and fell. 
The monk resumed his mutter'd spell: 
Dismal and low its accents came, 
The while he scathed the cross with flame 
And the few words that reached the air. 
Although the holiest name was there, t 
Had more of blasphemy than prayer. 
But when he shook above the crowd 
Its kindled points, he spoke aloud : — 

♦ [MS.—" Our warriors, on his worthless bust 
Shall speak disgrace ai)d wo."] 

t [MS.— "Their clattering targets hardly strook J 
And first they muttered low. ^^^ 

X (MS.—" Although the holy name was there.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 119 

'* Wo to the wretch, who fails fo rear 
At this dread sign the ready spear ! 
For, as the flames this symbol sear, 
His home, the refuge of his fear, 

A kindred faie shall know ; 
Far o'er its roof the volumed flame 
Cian-Alpine\s vengeance shall proclaim, 
While maids an^ matrons on his name 
Shall call down wretchedness and shame. 

And infamy and wo." 
Then rose the cry of females shrill 
As goss-hawk's whistle on the hill, 
Denouncing misery and ill, 
Mingled with childhood's babbling trill 

Of curses stammer'd slow; 
Answering with imprecation dread 
" Sunk be his home in embers red ! 
'And cursed be the meanest shed 
That e'er shall hide the houseless head, 

We doom to want and wo !"" 
A sharp and shrieking echo gave, 
Coir-Uriskin, thy goblin cave ! 
And the gray pass where birches wave, 

On Beala-nam-bo. 
XL 
Then deeper paused the priest anew 
And hard his labouring breath he drewr, 
While, with set teeth and clenched hand, 
And eyes that glowed like fiery brand 
He meditated ctirse more dread, 
And deadlier, on the clansman's head, 
Who, summon'd to his Chieftain's aid, 
The signal saw and disobey'd. 
The crosslet's points of sparkling wood, 
He quench' d among the bubbling blood, 



120 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

And, as again the sign he rear'd, 
Ho/low and hoarse his voice was heard : 
" When flits this Cross from man to man, 
Vich-AIpine's summons lo his clan, 
Curst be the ear that fails to heed I 
Palsied the foot that shuns to speed ! 
May ravens tear the careless eyes, 
Wolves make the coward heart their prize ! 
As sinks that blood-stream in riie earth. 
So may his heart's-blood drench his hearth ! 
As dies in hissing gore the spark, 
Quench thou his light, Destruction dark! 
And be the grace to him denied, 
Bought by this sign to all beside !" 
He ceased ; no echo gave agen 
The murmur of the deep Amen.* • 

XII. 
Then Roderick, with impatient look, 
P'rom Brian's hand the symbol took : 
"Speed, Malise, speed !" he said: and gave 
The crosslet to his henchman brave. 
" The muster-place be Lanrick mead — t 
Instant the time — speed, Malise, speed !" 
Like heaih-bird, when the hawks pursue, 
A barge across Loch Katrine flew ; 
High siood the henchman on the prow. 
So rapidly the barge-men row 
The bubbles, where they launch'd the boat, 
Were all unbroken and afloat, 
Dancing in foam and ripple still, 
When it had neared the mainland hill; 
And from the silver beach's side 
Still was the prow three fathom wide, 
* (MS.—" The slowly muttered deep Amen.") 
i [MS. — " Murlargan is the spot decreed."] 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 121 

When lightly bounded to the land 
The messenger of blood and brand. 

XIII. 
Speed, Malise. speed ! the dun deer's hide 
On fleeter foot was never tied.* 
Speed, Malise, speed ! such cause of haste 
Thine aciive sinews never braced. 
Bend 'gainst the steepy hili thy breast, 
Burst down like torrent from its crest ; 
With short and springing footstep pass 
The trembling bog and false morass ; 
Across the brook like roebuck bound, 
And thread the brake like questing hound. 
The crag is higli, the scaur is deep, 
Yetehriuk not from the desperaie leap: 

♦ The present brogue of the Highlanders is made 
of half-dried leather, with holes to admit and let out 
the water ; for walking the moors dry-shod is a mat- 
ter altogether out of question. The ancient buskin 
was .?till rudtrr, heing made of undressed deer's hide, 
with the hair outwards ; a circumstance which pro 
cured the Hiirhlanders the well-known epithet of 
Red- Shanks. The process is very acrnraiely describ- 
ed by one Elder (himself a Highlander) in tlie project 
for a union bfuveen England and t*cotland, address- 
ed to Henry VHI. " V/e goa-huntHL^, and after that 
we have slain red-deer, we flay off the skm by-and- 
by, and st tting of our bare-foot on the inside thereof, 
for want of cu;ming shoemakers, by your iiract's par- 
don, we play the cobblers, compassing and measur- 
ing so mucli thereof as shall reach up to our ankles, 
pricking the upper part thereof with holes, that the 
water may repass where it enters, and stretching it 
up with a strong thong of the same above our 
«aid ankles. So, and please your most noble grace, 
we make our shoes. Therefore, we using such man- 
ner of shoes, the rough hairy side outwards, in your 
grace's dominions of England, we be called Rough 
fuoted Scot*."— Pinkkrton's Hiilort/y vol. ii. p. 397. 

Li 



122 THE LADY OF THE LAKE^ 

Parch'd are thy burning lips and brow, 

Yet by the fountain pause not now; 

Herald of battle, fate, and fear,* 

Stretch onward in thy fleet career ! 

The wounded hind thou track'st not now, 

Pursuest not maid through greenwood bough, 

Nor pliest thou now thy flying pace, 

With rivals in the mountain race ; 

But danger, death, and warrior deed, 

Are in thy course — speed, Malise, speed ! 

XIV. 

Fast as the fatal symbol flies, 
In arms the huts and hamlets rise : 
From winding glen, from upland brown. 
They pour'd each hardy tenant down. 
Nor slack'd the messenger his pace ; 
He show'd the sign, he named the place, 
And, pressing forward like the wind, 
Left clamour and surprise behind. t 
The fisherman forsook the strand, 
The swarthy smith took dirk and brand; 
With changed cheer, the mower blithe 
Left in the half-cut swathe the scythe.. 
The herds without a keeper stray'd, 
The plough was in mid- furrow staid, 

* (MS. — "Dread Messenger of fate and fear, "> 
Herald of danger, fate, and fear, 3 
Stretcli onward in thy fleet career ! 
Thou track's! not now the stricken doe. 
Nor maiden coy through greenwood 
bough.") 
•f (" The description of the starting of the 'fiery 
cross' bears more iriarks of labor than most of Mr. 
Scott's poetry, and borders, perhaps, upon straining 
end exaggeration; yet it shows great power." — Jbf- 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 123 

The falc'ner toss'd his hawk away, 
The hunter left the stag at bay ; 
Prompt at the signal of alarms, 
Each son of Alpine rush'd to arms ; 
So swept the tumult and affray 
Along the maririn of Achray. 
Alas, thou lovely lake! that e'er 
Thy banks should echo sounds of fear! 
The rocks, the bosky thickets, sleep 
So stilly on thy bosom deep, 
The lark's blithe carol, from the cloud, 
Seems for the scene too gayly loud.* 

XV. 

Speed, Malise, speed ! the lake is past, 

Duncraggan's huts appear at last, 

And peep, like moss-grown rocks half seen, 

Half hidden in the copse so green ; 

There mayst thou rest, thy labour done, 

Their lord shall speed the signal on. — 

As stoops the hawk upon his prey, 

The henchman shot him down the way. 

— What woful accents load the gale? 

The funeral yell, the female wail !t 

A gallant hunter's sport is o'er, 

A valiant warrior fights no more. 

Who, in the battle or the chase, 

At Roderick's side shall fill his place! — 

Within the hall, where torches' ray 

Supplies the excluded beams of day. 

Lies Duncan on his lowly bier. 

And o'er him streams his widow's tear. 

* (MS. — "Seems all too lively and too loud." 
t MS.— •' 'Tis woman's scream, 'tis childhood's 
wail." 



124 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

His stripling son stands mournful by, 
His youngest weeps, but knows not why ; 
Tlie village maids and matrons round 
The dismal coronach* resound. 

* The Coronach ofthe Highlanders, like the Ululatus 
of the Romans, and the i7/wZooof the Irish. was a wild 
expression of laineniation poured forth by the mourn- 
ers over the body of a departed friend. When the 
words of it were articulate, they expressed the 
praises of the deceased, and the loss the clan would 
sustain by his death. The following is a lamentation 
of this kind, Iterally translated from ihe Gaelic, to 
some ofthe ideas of which the text stands indebted. 
The tune is so popular, that it has since become the 
war-march, or Gathering ofthe clan. 

Coronarh on Sir Lajichlan, Chief of Maclean. 
" Which of all the Senachies 

Can trace thy line from the root, up to Paradise, 

But Macvuirih, the son «)f Fergus 1 

No sooner had iliine ancient stately tree 

Taken firm root in Albion, 

Than one of thy forefathers fell at Harlaw — 

'Twasthenwe lost a chief of deathless name. 
" 'Tis no base weed — no planted tree, 

Nor a seedling of last autumn ; 

Nor a sapling planted at Beltain ;t 

Wide, wide around were spread its lofty 
branches. — 

But the lopmoit bough is lowly laid ! 

Thou hast forsaken us before Savvaine J 

" Thy dwelling is the winter house ; — 
Loud, sad, sad, and mighty is thy death-song ! 
Oh ! courteous champion of Montro.se ! 
Oh ! stately warrior of tlie Celtic Isles! 
Thou Shalt buckle thy harness on no more !" 

The coronach has for some years past been super- 
seded at funerals by the use ofthe bagpipe ; and that 

tBeirs fire, or WliiUunday. t Ha!lowre'en. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 125 

XVI. 

CORONACH. 

He is gone on the mountain, 

He is lost to the forest, 
Like a summer -dried fountain, 

When our need was the sorest. 
The font, re-appearing, 

From the rain-drops shall borrow, 
But to us comes no cheering, 

To Duncan no morrow ! 

The hand of the reaper 

Takes the ears that are hoary, 
But the voice of the weeper 

Wails manhood in glory. 
The autumn winds rushing 

Waft the leaves that are searest, 
But our flower was in flushing. 

When blighting was nearest. 

Fleet foot on the correi* 

Sage council in cumber, 
Red hand in the foray, 

How sound is thy slumber I 
Like the dew on the mountain, 

Like the foam on the river, 
Like the bubble on the fountain, 

Thou art gone, and for ever !t 

also is, like many other Highland peculiarities, fall- 
ing into disuse, unless in remote districts. 

* Or corri. The hollow side of the hill, where game 
usually lies. 

t ('■ Mr. Scoit is such a master of versification, that 
the most complicated metre does not for an instant, 
arrest the progress of his imaa:maiion ; its difficulties 
usually operate as a salutary excitement to his at- 
tention, and not unfrequcutly suggests to him new 



126 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

XVII. 
See Stumah,* who, the bier beside, 
His master's corpse with wonder eyed. 
Poor Stumah ! whom his least halloo 
Could send like lightning o'er the dew, 
Bristles his crest, and points his ears, 
As if some stranger step he hears. 
'Tis not a mourner's muffled tread, 
Who comes to sorrow o'er the dead, 
But headlong haste, or deadly fear, 
Urge the precipitate career. 
All stand aghast : — unheeding all. 
The henchman bursts into the hall ; 
Before the dead man's bier he stood ; 
Held forth the cross besmear'd with blood : 
" The muster-place is Lanrick mead ; 
Speed forth the signal I clansmen, speed !" 

XVIII. 
Angus, the heir of Duncan's line.t 
Sprung forth and seized the fatal sign, 
and unexpected graces of expression. If a careles* 
rhyme, or an ill-constrncled phrase, occasionally es- 
cape him a-nidsi the irresular torrent of his stanza, 
the blemish is often imperceptible by ihe hurried eye 
of the reader ; but when the short lines are yoked in 
pairs, anydissonance in the jingle, or interruption of 
the construction, cannot fail to give offence. We 
learn from Horace, that in the course of a long work 
a poet may legitimately induige in a nionieiitary slum 
ber ; but we do not wish to hear him snore." — Qwaf- 
terly Review.^ 
* Faithful. The name of a doff. 
t (Md.— " Angus, the^rst of Duncan's line, 

Sprung forth and seized the fatal sign, 
^vd then upon his kinsman's bier. 
Fell Malise's suspended tear. 
In haste the striplingto his side 
His father's targe and falchion tied."] 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 127 

In haste the stripling to his side 

His father's dirk and broadsword tied; 

But when he saw his mother's eye 

Watch him in speechless agony, 

Back to her open'd arms he flew, 

Press'd on her lips a fond adieu — 

" Alas !" she sobb'd, — ' and yet be gone, 

And speed thee forth, like Duncan's son !" 

One look he cast upon the bier, 

Dash'd from his eye the gathering tear, 

Breathed deep tO clear his labouring breast, 

And toss'd aloft his bonnet crest, 

Then, like the high-bred colt when freed, 

First he essays his fire Mnd speed, 

He vanish'd, and o'er moor and moss 

Sped forward with the Fiery Cross. 

Suspended vvas the widow's tear, 

While yet his footsteps she could hear ; 

And when she mark'd the henchman's eye 

Wet with unwonted sympathy, 

" Kinsman," she said, " his race is run, 

That should have sped thine errand on ; 

The oak has fall'n, — the sapling bough 

Is all Duncraggan's shelter now. 

Yet trust I well, his duty done. 

The orphan's God will guard my son.— 

And you, in many a danger true, 

At Duncan's hesl your blades that drew. 

To arms, and guard that orphan's head ! 

Let babes and women wail the dead." 

Then weapon-clang, and martial call, 

Resounded through the funeral hall, 

While from the walls the attendant band 

Snatch'd sword and targe, with hurried hand; 

And short and flitting energy 

Glanced from the mourner's sunken eye, 



128 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

As if the sounds to warrior dear 

Might rouse her Duncan from his bier: 

But faded soon that borrow'd force ; 

Grief claim'd his right, and tears their course. 

XIX. 

Benledi saw the Cross of Fire, 

It glanced like lightning up Strath-Ire.* 

O'er dale and hill the summons flew. 

Nor resi nor pause young Angus knew; 

The tear that gather'd in his eye 

He left the mountain-breeze to dry ; 

* Inspection of the provincinl map of Perthshire, oi 
any lari/e map of Scotland, will trace the progress of 
the signal through the small district of lakes and 
mountains. which, in exercise of my poetical privilege 
I have FUhjected to the authority of my imaginary 
chieftain, and which, at the period of my romance, 
was really occiipit-d by a clan who claimed a descent 
from Alpine ; a clan the most unfortunate, and most 
persecuted, but neither the least disiinguished, least 
powerful, nor least brave, of the tribes of the Gael, 
" Slioch non rioghridh dnchaisach 
Bha shios an Dun-Staiobhinish 
Aig an roubh crun na Halba othus 
'Stag a cheil duchas fast ris." 
The first stnge of the Fiery Cross is to Duncraggan, 
a place near the Brigg of Turk, where a short stream 
divides Loch Achray from Loch Vennacbar. From 
thence it passes towards Calender, and then turning 
to the left up the pass of Leny. is consigned to Nor- 
man at the chapel of Saint Bride, which stood on a 
small and romantic knoll in the middle of the valley, 
called Strath- Ire. Tomhea and Arnandave, or Ar- 
inaiidave, are names of places in the vicinity. The 
alarm is then supposed to pass along the lake of Lub- 
naig, and through the various glens in the district of 
Balquidder. including tlie neighboring tracts of Glen* 
finlas and Straihgartney. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 129 

Until, where Teiih's young waters roll, 

Betwixt him and a wooded knoll* 

That graced the sable Strath with green, 

The chapel of St. Bride was seen. 

Svvoln was the stream, remote the bridge 

But Angus paused not on the edge ; 

Though the dark waves danced dizzily, 

Though reeTd his sympathetic eye, 

He d:ishd amid the torrent's roar ; 

His right hand high the crosslet bore, 

His left the poie-axe grasp'd, to guide 

And stay his footing in the tide. 

He stumbled twice — the foam splash'd high, 

With hoarser swell the stream raced by ; 

And had he falPn, — forever there, 

Farewell Duncraggan's orphan heir! 

But still, as if in parting life, 

Firmer he grasp'd the Cross of strife, 

Until the opposing bank he gain'd, 

And up the chapel pathway strain'd. 

XX. 

A blithesome rout, that morning tide, 
Had sought the chapel of Saint Bride. 
Her troth Tombea's Mary gave 
To Norman, heir of Armandave, 
And, issuing from the Gothic arch, 
The bridal now resumed their march. 
In rude, but glad procession, came 
Bonneted sire and coif-clad dame ; 
And plaided youth, with jest and jeer. 
Which snooded maiden would not hear . 
And children, that unwitting why, 
Lent the gay shout their shrilly cry ; 

• (MS. — " And where a steep and wooded knoll 

Graced the dark Stralh with emerald green.") 



130 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

And minstrels, that in measures vied 
Before the young and bonny bride. 
Whose downcast eye and cheek disclose 
The tear and blush of morning rose. 
With virgin step, and bashful hand, 
She held the 'kerchief's snowy band ; 
The gallant bridegroom, by her side, 
Beheld his prize with victor's pride, 
And the glad mother in her ear 
Was closely whispering word of cheer. 

XXI. 

Who meets them at the churchyard gate t 

The messenger of fear and fate ! 

Haste in his hurried accent lies, 

And grief is swimming in his eyes. 

All dripping from the recent flood, 

Panting and travel-soii'd he stood, 

The fatal sign of fire and sword 

Held forth, and spoke the appointed word : 

" The muster-place is Lanrick mead ; 

Speed forth the signal! Norman, speed!" 

And must he change so soon the hand,* 

Just link'd to his by holy band, 

For the fell Cross of blood and brand ? 

And must the day so blithe that rose, 

And promised rapture in the close, 

Before its setting hour, divide 

The bridegroom from the plighted bride ? 

O fatal doom I — it must I it must ! 

Clan-Alpine's cause, her Chieftain's trust, 

Her summons dread, brook no delay ; 

Stretch to the race — away ! away ! 

* (MS.—" And must be then exchange the hand.'^ 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 131 

XXII. 
Yet slow he laid his plaid aside, 
And, lingering, eyed his lovely bride, 
Until he saw tiie starting tear 
Speak wo he might not stop to cheer ; 
Then, trusting not a second look. 
In haste he sped him up the brook, 
Nor backward glanced, till on the heath 
Where Lubnaig's lake supplies the Teith. 
—What in the racer's bosom stirr'd ? 
The sickening pang of hope deferred. 
And memory, with a torturing train* 
Of all his morning visions vain, 
Mingled wiih love's impatience, came 
The manly thirst for martial fame ; 
The stormy joy of mountaineers. 
Ere yet they rush upon the spears ; 
And zeal for Clan and Chieftain burning. 
And hope, from well-fought field returning 
With war's red honours on his crest, 
To clasp his Mary to his breast. 
Stung by such thoughts, o'er bank and brae 
Like fire from flint he glanced away. 
While high resolve and feeUng strong, 
Burst into voluntary song. 

XXIII. 

SONG. 

The heath this night must be my bed, 
The brackent curtain for my head, 

• MS. — •* And memory brought the torturing train 
Of all his morning visions vain : 
But mingled witl: impatience came 
TJie manly love of martial fame.") 

t Bracien.'^Fetn. 



•I33 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

My lullaby the warder's tread. 

Far, far from love and thee, Mary. 

To-morrow eve more stilly laid, 
My couch may be my bloody plaid, 
My vesper song, thy wail, sweet maid ! 
It will not waken me, Mary I 

I may not, dare not, fancy now* 

The fi^rief that clouds thy lovely brow, 

I dare not think upon thy vow, 

A.id all it promised me, Mary. 

No fond regret must Norman know ; 
When bursts Clan Alpine on the foe, 
His heart must be like bended bow, 
His foot like arrow free, Mary. 

A time will come with feeling fraught,t 
For if I fall in battle fought, 
Thy hapless lover's dying thought 

Shall be a thought on thee, Mary. 

And if returned from conquer'd foes, 
How blithely will the evening close, 
How sweet the linnet sing repose. 

To my young bride and me, Mary. 

XXIV. 

Not faster o'er thy heathery braes, 
Balquidder, speeds the midnight blaze, t 

* [MS. — "I may not, dare not, image now."] 
t (MS — " A time will come for love and faith, 

For should thy bridegroom yield his breath, 

'Twill cheer him in the hour of death, 
The boasted right to thee, Mary.") 
t It may be necessary to inform the southern read- 
er, that the heath on the Scottish moorlands is oftca 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 133 

Rushing, in conflagration strong, 

Thy deep ravines and dells along, 

Wrapping thy cliffs in purple glow, 

And reddening the dark lakes below ; 

Nor faster speeds it, nor so far, 

As o'er thy heaths the voice of war.* 

The signal roused to martial coil, 

The sullen margin of Loch Voil, 

Waked still Loch Doine, and to the source 

Alarmd, Balvaig, thy swampy course ; 

Thence southward turn'd its rapid road 

Adown Stralh-Gartney's valley broad, 

Till rose in arms each man might claim 

A portion in Clan-Alpine's name, 

Fiom the gray sire, whose trembling hand 

Could hardly buckle on his brand, 

To the raw boy, whose shaft and bow, 

Were yet scarce terror to the crow. 

Each valley, each sequestered glen, 

Musier'd its little horde of men, 

That met as torrents from the height 

In Highland dales their streams unite, 

Still gathering, as they pour along, 

A voice more loud, a tide more strong, 

Till at the rendezvous they stood 

By hundreds prompt for blows and blood ; 

Bet fire to. that the .sheep may have the advantage of 
the young herbage produced in room of the lough old 
heather plants. This custom (execrated by sports- 
men) produces occasionally the most beautiful noc-. 
turnal appearances, similar almost to the discharge 
of a volcano. This simile is not new to poetry. The 
charge of a wiirrinr in the fine ballad of Hardy knute, 
is said to be "like fire to heaiher set." 

♦ [" The eager fidelity with which this fatal signal 
is hurried on and obeyed, is represented with great 
spirit and felicity."— Jeffbey.] 



i34 THE LADY OF THE LAKE 

Each train'd to arms since life began, 
Owning no tie but to his clan, 
No oath, but by his chieftain's hand, 
No law, but Roderick Dhu's command.* 

XXV. 
That summer morn had Roderick Dhu 
Survey'd the skirts of Benvenue, 

♦ The deep and implicit respect paid by the High- 
land clansmen to their chief, rendered this boih a 
common and a solemn oath. In other respects, ttiey 
were like most savage nations, capricious in their 
ideas concerning the obligatory power of oaths. One 
solemn mode of swearing was by kissitig the dirk, 
imprecating upon themselves deaih hy thnt, or a sim- 
ilar weapon, if they broke their vow. But for oaths, 
in the usual form, they are said to have had little res- 
pect. As for the reverence due to the chief, it may 
be guessed from the following odd example of a High- 
land point of honor: 

"The clan whereto the above-mentioned tribe be- 
longs, is the only one I have heard of. which is with- 
out a chief; that is, being divided into familiea. under 
several chieftains, without any particular patriarch 
of the whole name. And this is a great reproach, as 
may appear from an affair that fell out at my table, 
In the Highlands, between one of that name and a 
Cameron, The provocation given by the latter was 
— ' Name j'our chief '—The return of it at once was, 
--' You are a fool.' They went out next morning, but 
having early notice of it, I sent a small party of sol- 
diers after them, which, in all probability, prevented 
someTiarharous mischief that might have ensued; tor 
the chiefless Highlander, who is himself a petty chief- 
lain, was going to the place appointed with a small 
sword and pistol, whereas the Cameron (an old man^, 
took with him only his broadsword, according to the 
agreement. 

" When all was over, and I had, at least seeming- 
ty reconciled them, I was told the words, of which I 
Itemed to think but slightly, were to one of theclali 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 135 

And sent his scouis o'er hill and heath, 

To view the frontiers of Menteith. 

All backward came with news of truce ; 

Stilj lay each martial Graeme and Bruce, 

In Rednock courts no horsemen wait. 

No banner waved on Cardross gate, 

On Duchray's towers no beacon shone, 

Nor scared the herons from Loch Con ; 

All seenrd at peace. — Now, wot ye why 

The Chieltain with such anxious eye, 

Ere to the musier he repair, 

This western frontier scann'd with care ?— 

In Benvenue's most darksome cleft, 

A fair, though cruel, pledge was left ; 

For Douglas, to his promise true. 

That morning from the isle withdrew, 

And in a deep sequester'd dell 

Had sought a low and lonely cell. 

By many a bard, in Celtic tongue, 

Has Coir-nan-Uriskin been sung ;* 

the greatest of all provocations." — Letters from Scot- 
land, vol. ii p. 2-^1. 

* This is a very steep and most romantic hollow in 
the mountain of Benvenue. ovfrhanging the south- 
eastern extreiiiiiy of Loch Katrine. It is surrounded 
with stupendous rocks, and overshadowed with birch 
trees, mingled wnh oaks, the spontaneous production 
of the rnouniain, even where its cliffs appear denu- 
ded of soil. A dale in so wild a situation, and amid a 
people whose genius bordered on ihe romantic, did 
not remain without appropriate deities. The name 
literally implies the Corri, or Den of the Wild or 
Shaggy men. Perhaps ihi.«, as conjectured by Mr. 
Alexander Campl>tll,t may have originally only im- 
plied its being the haunt of a ferocious banditti. Bnt 
tradition has ascribed to the Unsk, who gives name 

t Jovirney ftom Edinburgh, 1S02, p. 109. 



136 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

A softer name the Saxons gave, 
And caird the grot the Goblin-Cave. 

XXVI. 

It was a wild and strange retreat, 
As e'er was trod by outlaw's feet. 
The dell, upon the mountain's crest, 
Yawn'd like a gash on warrior's breast ; 
Its trench had staid full many a rock, 
Hurl'd by primeval earthquake shock 

to the cavern, a ticure between a goat and a man ; In 
short, however much the classical reader may be 
startled, pieciriely that of the Grecian Satyr. The 
Urisk seems not to have inhtrited. with the form, the 
petulance of the s> Ivan deity of the classics; his occu- 
pation, on the contrary, resembled those of Milton's 
Lnbbar Fiend, or of the Scottish Brownie, though he 
differed from both in name and appiaranre. "The 
Urisks." sajs Dr. Graham. ■' were a sort of lubberly 
snpernatiirals, who, like the Browiiies, could be gain- 
ed over by kind attention, to perform the drudgery 
of the faim, and it was believed that many of the 
families in the Hiaiilands had one of the order at- 
tached to it. They were supposed to be dispersed 
over the Highlands, each in his own wild recess, but 
tlie solemn staled meetings of the order were regu- 
larly held in this Cave of Benvenue. This current 
superstition, no doubt, alludes to some circumstance 
in tne ancient history of this country."— Scenery on 
the Sourhern Covfines of Perthshire, p J9. IbOd. It must 
be owned that the Coir, or Den, does not in its pres- 
ent state, meet our ideas of a snbierraneous grotto 
or cave, beinj; only a small and narrow caviiy, among 
huge fragments ol" rocks rudely piled together. But 
such a scene is liable lo convulsions of nature, 
which a Lowlander cannot estimate, and which may 
have choked up what was originally a cavern. At 
least the natne and tradition warrant the bulhor of a 
fictitious tale, to assert its having been such at the 
remote period in which this scene is laid. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 137 

From Benvenue's gray summit wild, 
And here, ia random ruin piled, 
They fVown'd incumbent o'er the spot, 
And forniM the rugged sylvan grot.* 
The oak and birch, with mingled shade, 
At noontide there a twilight made, 
Unless when short and sudden shone 
Some straggling beam on cliff or stone, 
With such a glimpse as prophet's eye 
Gains on thy depths, Futurity. 
No murmur waked the solemn still, 
Save tinkling of a fountain rill ; 
But when the wind chafed with the lake, 
A sullen sound would upward break, 
With dashing hollow voice that spoke 
The incessant war of wave and rock. 
Suspended cliffs, with hideous sway, 
Seem'd nodding o'er the cavern gray. 
From such a den the wolf had sprung. 
In such the wild-cat leaves her young ; 
Yet Douglas and his daughter fair 
Sought for a space their safety there. 

* ('* After landingon the skirts of Benvenue, we 
reach the cave (or more properly the cove) of the (roh- 
lins. by a steep and narrow defile of a few hundred 
yiirds in li-ngih. Iiisa deep circular aiuphithealre 
of at least COO yards of extent in its upper diameter, 
gradually narrowing Towards the base, hemmed in all 
round by steep and lowering rocks, and rendered 
impenetrable to the rays of the sun by a close cov- 
ert of luxuriant trees. On the south and west it is 
bounde.i by the precipitous shoulder of Benvenue, to 
the height of at least 500 feet : towards the east, the 
rock appears at some former period to have tumbled 
down, strewing the whole course of its fail with im- 
mense fragments, which now serve only lo give shel- 
ter to foxes, wild-cats, and badgers."— Dr. Gra- 
ham.) 

M 



138 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Gray Superstition's whisper dread 
Debarr'd the spot to vulgar tread ; 
For there, she said, did fays resort, 
And satyrs* hold their sylvan court, 
By moonhght tread their mystic maze, 
And blast the rash beholder's gaze. 

xxvri. 

Now eve with western shadows long, 
Floated on Katrine bright and strong. 
When Roderick, with a chosen few, 
Repass'd the heights of Benvenue. 
Above the Goblin-cave they go, 
Through the wild pass of Beal-nam-bo ;t 
The prompt retainers speed before, 
To launch the shallop from the shore, 
For cross Loch Katrine lies his way 
To view the passes of Achray, 
And place his clansmen in array. 
Yet lags the chief in musing mind, 
Unwonted sight, his men behind. 
A single page to bear his sword, 
Alone attended on his lord ;t 

* The Urisk, or Highland Satyr. See a previous 
Note. 

•t Bealach-nam-bo, or the pnss of cattle, is a moat 
magnificent glade, overhung with aged b rch-trees, 
a little higher up the mountain than the Coir-nan- 
Uriskiii, treated of in a former note. The whole 
comprises one of the most sublime pieces of scenery 
that imagination can conceive. 

t A Highland chief, being as absolute in his patri- 
archial authority as any prince, had a coripsnoitdinj 
number of officers attached to his person. He had hi* 
body guards, calle<l Luirhttach, picked from his clan 
forstrength, activity and entire devotion to his person. 
These, according to their dp&eris, were sure to share 
abundantly in the rude profusion of his boapitalitjr. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE 139 

The rest their way through thickets break, 
And soon await him by the lake. 
It was a fair and gallant sight, 
To view them from the neighbouring height, 
By the low-levelTd sunbeam's light! 
It is recorded, for example, by tradition, that Allan 
McLean, chief of that clan, happened upon a time to 
hear one of these favourite reiaiiit^rs ohstrve to hia 
comrade, that their chief grew old— 'Whrnce do you 
infer that?" replied tne other —" When was it 3" 
rejoined the first. * That a soldier of Allan's was 
obliged, a< I an) now, not only to eat the flesh from 
the bone, but even to tear off the inner skin, or fila- 
ment •?" The hint was quite sufficient, and McLean 
next morning, to relieve his followers from such dire 
necessity, undertook an inroad on the mainland, the 
ravages of whic i aliogither effaced Ihti memory of 
his former expediiions for the like purpose. 

Our ofl[icer of Engineers, so often quoted, has given 
us a distinct list of the domestic officers who, inde- 
pendent of Luichltach. or gardes de corps, belonged to 
the establishment of a Highland chief. M'hese are, 
1. The Henchman. See these notes p 95. 2. The 
Bard. See p. 5.j. 3. Bladier, or spokesman. 4 Gil- 
liemore, or sword-hearer, alluded to in the text. 5. 
Oillie-casfiue, who carried the chief, if on foot, over 
the fords. 6 Gillie- comstraine, who leads the chief's 
horse. 7. Gil/ie-Trushanarinsh, the bapgage man. 
8. The piper. 9 The piper's gillie, or attendant, who 
carries the bagpipe. * Although this appeared, natu- 
rally enough, very rid culous to an English officer, 
who considered the master of such a retinue as no 
more than an English gentleman of 500 1, a year, yel 
in the circumstnnres of the chief, whose sirengJh 
and importance cons-isied in the number and attach- 
ment of his followers, it was of tlie last conseqtience, 
in point of policy, to have in his gift sulordinate 
offices, which calied iiiimed ately round his person, 
those who were most devoted to him. and being oiF 
va!ue In their estimation, were also the means 6f 
rewarding them. 

* Lctten Gnm Scf.;'.and, vol. ii. p> IS. 



140 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

For strength and stature, from the clan, 
Each warrior was a chosen man. 
As even afar might well be seen 
By their proud step and martial mien. 
Their feathers dance, their tartans float, 
Their targets gleam, as by the boat 
A wild and warlike group they stand, 
That well became such mountain-strand. 

xxvrii. 

Their Chief, with step reluctant, still 
Was lingering on the craggy hill, 
Hard by where turned apart the road 
To Douglas's obscure abode. 
It was but with that dawning morn, 
That Roderick Dhu had proudly sworn 
To drown his love in war's wild roar,* 
Nor think of Ellen Douglas more ; 
But he who stems a stream with sand, 
And fetters flame with flaxen band, 
Has yet a harder task to prove — 
By firm resolve to conquer love ! 
Eve finds the chief, like restless ghost, 
Still hovering near his treasure lost ; 
For though his haughty heart deny 
A parting meeting to his eye, 
Still fondly strains his anxious ear 
The accents of her voice to hear. 
And inly did he curse the breeze 
That waked to sound the rustling trees. 
But hark ! what mingles in the strain ? 
It is the harp of Allan-bane, 
That wakes its measure slow and high, 
Attuned to sacred minstrelsy. 
* [MS.— "To drown his ^n'ef in war's wild roar. 
Nor think of love and Ellen more."] 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 141 

What melting voice attends the strings ? 
Tis Ellen, or an angel, sings. 

XXTX. 

HYMN TO THE VIRGIN. 

Ave Maria ! maiden mild ! 

Listen to a maiden's prayer ! 
Thou canst hear though from the wild, 

Thou canst save amid despair. 
Safe may we sleep beneath thy care, 

Though banish'd, outcast, and reviled^ 
Maiden ! hear a maiden's prayer ; 

Mother, hear a suppliant child ! 

Ave Maria .' 
Ave Maria ! undefiled ! 

The flinty couch we now must share* 
Shall seem with down of eider piled, 

If thy protection hover there. 
The murky cavern's heavy airt 

Shall breathe of balm if thou hast smiled ; 
Then, Maiden ! hear a maiden's prayer. 

Mother, list a suppliant child ! 

Ave Maria ! 
Ave Maria ! Stainless styled ! 

Foul demons of the earth and air, 
From this their wonted haunt exiled, 

Shall flee before thy presence fair. 
We bow us to our lot of care^ 

Beneath thy guidance reconciled; 
Hear for a maid a maiden's prayer, 

And for a father hear a child ! 

Ave Maria ! 

* FMS.— "The flinty couoti my sire must share.-*'] 
t [MS.—" The murky grotto's noxious air."] 



143 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

XXX. 

Died on the harp the closing hymn- 
Unmoved in attitude and limb, 
As list'ning still, Clan-Alpine's lord 
Stood leaning on his heavy sword, 
Until the page with humble sign, 
Twice pointed to the sun's decline. 
Then while his plaid he round him cast^ 
" It is the last time — 'tis the last," 
He mutter'd thrice, — "the last time e'er 
That angel-voice shall Roderick hear I" 
It was a goading thought — his stride 
Hied hastier down the mountain-side ; 
Sullen he flung him in the boat. 
And instant 'cross the lake it shot. 
They landed in that silvery bay. 
And eastward held their hasty way, 
Till, with the latest beams of light, 
The band arrived on Lanrick height, 
Where muster'd, in the vale below,* 
Clan-Alpine's men in martial show. 

XXXI. 

A various scene the clansmen made, 
Some sale, some stood, some slowly strayed; 
But most, with mantles folded round, 
Were couch'd to rest upon the ground, 
Scarce to be known by curious eye, 
P'rom the deep heather where they lie, 
So well was match'd the tartan screen 
With heath-bell dark and brackens green; 
Unless where, here and there, a blade, 
Or lance's point, a glimmer made, 

♦ (MS.—" Where broad extending far below, 

- Mu.^ter'd Clan-Alpine's martial sl|OW,") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 143 

Like glow-worm twinkling through the shade. 
But when, advancing through the gloom, 
They saw the chieftain's eagle plume. 
Their shout of welcome, shrill and wide, 
Shook the steep mountain's sieady side. 
Thrice it arose, and lake and fell 
Tnree times retuin'd the marual yell ; 
It died upon Bochastle's plain, 
And silence claimed her evening reign. 



CANTO FOURTH. 

THE PROPHECY. 

I. 

•' The rose is fairest when 'tis budding new, 
And hope is brightest when it dawns from 
fears :* 
The rose is sweetest wash'd with morning dew, 
And love is loveliest when enbalm'd in tear^, 
O wilding rose, whom fancy thus endears, 
I bid your blossoms in my bonnet wave, 
Emblem of hope and love through future years I" 
Thus spoke young Norman, heir of Armandave, 
What lime the sun arose on Vennachar's broad 
wave. 

II. 
Such fond conceit, half said, hal sung. 
Love prompted to the bridegroom's tongue. 
All while he stripped the wild-rose spray, 
His axe and bow beside him lay, 
For, on a pass *twixt lake and wood, 
A wakeful sentinel he stood, 

♦ (MS— "And rapture dearest when obscured by 
fears.") 



144 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Hark ! — on the rock a footstep rung, 

And instant to his arms he sprung. 

'' Stand, or thou diest ! — What, Malise ? — soon 

Art tt.ou return^ from Braes of Doune. 

By thy keen step and glance I know. 

Thou bring'st us tidings of the foe." — 

(For while the Fiery Cross hied on, 

Ondisiant scout had Malise gone.) 

" Where sleeps the Chief?" the henchman said. 

•' Apart, it) yonder misty glade ; 

To his lone couch 111 be your guide." — 

Then call'da slumberer by his side, 

And stirr'd him with his slacken'd bow — 

" Up, up, Glentarkin ! rouse thee, ho I 

We seek the Chieftain ; on the track, 

Keep eagle watch till 1 come back." 

HI. 

Together up the pass they sped : 

" VVhat of the foemen ?" Norman said. — 

" Varying reports from near and far, 

This certain, — that a band of war 

Has for two days been ready boune, 

At prompt command to march from Doune; 

King James, the while, with princely powers, 

Holds revelry in Stirling towers. 

Soon will this dark and gathering cloud 

Speak on our glens in thunder loud. 

Inured to bide such bitter bout, 

The warrior's plaid may bear it out ; 

But, Norman, how will thou provide 

A shelter for thy bonny bride ?" — 

" What ! know ye not that Roderick's care 

To the lone isle hath caused repair 

Each maid and matron of the clan, 

And every child and aged man 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 145 

Unfit for arms ; and given his charge, 
Nor skiff nor shallop, boat nor barge, 
Upon these lakes shall float at large, 
But all beside the islet moor, 
That such dear pledge may rest secure ?"— 

IV. 
" 'Tis well advised — the Chieftain's plan* 
Bespeaks the father of his clan. 
But wherefore sleeps Sir Roderick Dhu 
Apart from all his followers true ?" 
" It is, because last evening-tide 
Brian an augury hath tried, 
Of that dread kind which must not be 
Unless in dread extremity, 
The Taghairm call'd ; by which, afar, 
Our sires foresaw the events of war.t 
Duncraggan's milk-white bull they slew."— 

* (MS— " 'Ti« well advispd--a prudent plan, 
Worthy the faiher of his clan.") 

t The Highlanders, like all rude people, had vari- 
ous superstitious modi:s of inquiring into futurity. 
One of the most noted was the Tatrlmirm, mentioned 
In the text. A person was wrapped up in the skin 
of a newly slain hullor.k, and deposited heside a 
waferfail, or at the bottom of a precipice, or in some 
other strange, wild, and unu.siial situation, where 
the scenery uround him suggested nothing but oljecls 
of horror. In this situation, he revolved in his mind 
the (luestion proposed; and whatever wa.s impressed 
upon him by his exciied imagination, pas.^ed for the 
inspiration of ihe disembodied spirits, who haunt the 
desolate recesses. In some of these Hebrides, they 
attributed the same oracular power to a large black 
■tone by the sea-.shore, which they approached with 
certain solemnities, and cons dered the first fancy 
which came into their own minds, afier they did so, 
to be the undoubted dictate of the tutelar deity of the 

10 N 



146 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 



" Ah ! well the gallant brute I knew! 
The choicest of the prey we had, 

stone, and, as such, to be, if possible, punctaa'lf 
complied with. Martin has recorded tlie following 
curious modes of Highland augury, in which the 
Taghairm, and its effects upon the person who was 
subjected to it, may serve to illustrate the text. 

" It was an ordinary thing auiDng the over-curious 
to consultan invisible oracle, conceinini; the fate of 
families and battles, <fec. This was performed three 
different ways : the first was by a company of men, 
one of wliom.beuii; detached by lot, was afterwards 
carried to a river, which was the boundaiy between 
two villages; four of the company laid hold on him, 
and, having shut liis eyes, they took him by the legs 
and arms, and then, tossing him to and again, struck 
his hips with force against the hank. One of them 
cried out, What is it you have got here? anothei an- 
swers, A log of liirch wood. The oiher cries again, 
Let his invsihie friends appear from all quarters, and 
let them relieve him by giving an answer to our 
present deinands; and in a few minutes after, a num- 
ber of little cieatures came from the sea, who 
answered the question, and disappeared suddenly. 
Tlie man was then set at libery, and they all return- 
ed home, to take their measures actoidirig to the 
prediction of their false prophets, but the poor delude 
ed fools were aiaised, for their answer was stil) 
ambiguous. This was always practised in the night, 
and may literally be called the works of darkness. 

"I had an account from the most intelligent an4 
judicious men in the Isle of Skie, that ahout sixty.T 
two years ago, the oracle was thus consulted only 
once, and th;it was in the parish of Kilmartin.on th^ 
easlside, by a wicked and mischievous race of people 
who are now e.xtinguished, both root and branch. 

"The second way of consulting the orarle was by 
a party of men, who first retired to solitary places, 
remote from any house, and there they singled ouj 
»ne of their number, and wrapped him in a big cow's 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 147 

When swept our merry-men Gallangad. 
His hide was snow, his horns were dark, 
His red eye glowed like fiery spark ; 

hide, which they folded about him ; his whole body 
was covered wuh it, except bis head, and so left 
in this posture ail night, until his invisible frienda 
relieved hint, by giving a proper answer to the 
question in hand; when he received, as he fancied, 
from several persons that he found about him all that 
time. His consorts returned to iiim at the break of 
day, and then he communicated hie news lo them; 
which ofien proved fatiil to those concerned in such 
unwarrantable inquiries. 

" There was a third way of consulting, which wa« 
a confirmation of the second, above mentioned. The 
eanie company who put the man into the hide, took a 
live cat, and put him on a spit; one of the number 
was employed to turn the spit, and one of hisconsorts 
inquired of him. What are you doing? he answered, 
I roast this cat, until his friends answer the question ; 
which must be tiie same that wus proposed by that 
man shut up in the hide. And afttirwards a very 
big catt conies, attended by a number of lesser catd, 
desiring to relieve the cat turned upon the spit, and 
then answers the question. If this answer proved 
the same that was given to the man in the hidle, then 
it was taken as a confirmation of the other j whic)i» 
in this case, was believed infallible. 

"Mr. Alexander Cooper, present Minister of North 
Uist, lold me that one John Erach, in the Isle of 
Lewis, assured him, it was his fate to have been led 
by his curiosity with some who consulted this oracie, 
and that he was a night within the hide, as above 
mentioned; during which time he felt and heard such 
terrible things, that he could not express them : the 
impression it made on him was such as could never go 
ofi*. and he said for a thousand worlds he would never 
again be eoncerned in the like performance, for this 

t The reader may have met with the ttory of the " Kin^ of the Cat*,"' 
Ml Lord LiiUetoD's X^Oers. It is well kaowii in tim BigUutit a«a ow- 
my tale. 



148 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

So fierce, so tameless, and so fleet, 
Sore did he cumber our retreat, 
And kept our stoutest kernes in awe, 
Even at the pass of Beal 'maha.* 

had disordered him to a high degree. He confessed 
It ingenuously, and with an air of great remorse, and 
seemed to be very penitent under a just sense of so 
great a crime: he declared this about five years since, 
and is still living in the Lewis for anything I know." 
^Description of the Western Isles, p. HO. See also 
Pennant's Scottish Tour, vol. ii. p. 361. 

* I know not if it be worth observing, that this 
passage is taken almost literally from the mouth of 
an old Highland Kern, or Ketteran, as they were 
called. He used to narr:ite the merry doings of the 
good old time when he was follower of Rob Roy Mc- 
Gregor. This leader; on one occasion, thought proper 
to make a descent upon the lower part of Loch Lo- 
mond district, and summoned all the heritors and 
farmers to meet at the Kirk of Drymen, to pay him 
black-mail, i. e. tribute for forbearance and proiec- 
tion. As this invitation was supported by a band of 
thirty or forty stout fellows, only ore gentleman, an 
ancestor, if 1 mistake not, of the present iVIr. Gra- 
bame of Gartmore, ventured to decline compliance. 
Rob Roy instantly swept his land of all he could 
drive away, and among the spoil was a bull of the 
old Scottish wild breed, whose ferocity occasioned 
great plague to the Ketterans. " But ere we had 
reached the Row of Dennan." said the old man, " a 
child might have scratched his ears."t The circum- 
stance is a minute one, but it paints the times when 
the poor beeve was compelled 

" To hoof it o'er as many weary miles, 
With goading pikemen hallooingat his heels, 
As e'er the bravest antler of the woods." 

[Ethreald. 

t This anecdote was, in former editions, inaccurately a.scribed toGrcij 
or Macgregor of Glengyle, called Ghlune Dhu, or Black Knee, a rehi 
tion of Kob Roy, but, as'l hare been auured, not addicted to his piedatoi] 
mi£emt*.—NoH to Third Editwn, 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 149 

But steep and flinty was the road, 

And sharp the hurrying pikeman's goad, 

And when we came to Dennan's Row, 

A child niight scathless stroke his brow." — 

V. 

NORMAN. 

" That bull was slain : his reeking hide 
They stretch'd the cataract beside, 
Whose waters their wild tumult toss 
Adown the black and craggy boss 
Of that huge cliff, whose ample verge 
Tradition calls the Hero's Targe.* 
Couched on a shelve beneath its brink. 
Close where the thundering torrents sink, 
Rocking beneath their headlong sway. 
And drizzled by the ceaseless spray. 
Midst groan of rock, and roar of stream. 
The wizard waits prophetic dream. 
Nor distant rests the Chief;— but hush ! 
See, gliding slow through mist and bush, 
The hermit gains yon rock, and stands 
To gaze upon our slumbering bands. 
Seems he not, Malise, like a ghost. 
That hovers o'er a slaughter'd host ? 
Or raven on the blasted oak, 
That, watching while the deer is broke, t 
His morsel claims withsuileu croak ?'■■ 

* There is a rock so iiamt-d in the forest of Glenfin- 
las, by which a tumultuary cataract takes its course. 
This wild place is said in former ti.-nes to have af- 
forded refuge to an outlaw, who was supplied with 
provisions hy a woman, who lowered them down 
from the brink of the precipice above. His water he 
procured for liiinself by letting down a flagon tied to 
a string, into the black pool beneath the fall. 

f Quartered. — Every thing belonging to the chase 



'1^ THE LADt or THE LAKE. 

MALISE. 

— " Peace ! peace ! to other than to me, 
Thy words were evil augury ; 
But still I hold Sir Roderick's blade 
Clan-Alpine's omen and her aid, 

was matter of solemnity among our ancestors; but 
nothing v»'iis more so than the mode of cutting up. or 
as it was technically called, ^reaAring' the slaughtered 
stag. The forester had his allotted portion ; the 
bounds had a certain allowance ; and to make the 
division as general as possible, the very birds had 
their share also. '' There is a little gristle," says Tur- 
berville, •• which is upon the spoone of the brisket» 
which we call the raven's bone ; and 1 have seen in 
some places a raven so wont and accustomed 10 it, 
that she would never fail to croak and cry for it all 
the time you were in breaking up of the deer, and 
would not depart till she hnd it " In the very ancient 
metrical romance oiSir Tristrem,that peerless knight 
who is saitl to have been the very deviser ol all rules 
of chase, did not onut the ceremony ; 

'• The rauen he yaue his yiftes 
Sal on the fourched ire." 

See Sir Trtstrem. 
The raven ^nitfht also challenge his rights by the 
Book ot'St. Albans ; for thus says Dame Juliana Btir- 
ners : 

" Slitteth anon 

The bely to the side, from the corhyn bone; 
That is corbyn's fee, at the death he will be.** 
Jonson in "The Sad Shepherd," gives a more po- 
etical account of the same ceremony. 

" Marian —^-he that undot-s him. 
Doth cleave the brisket bone, upon the spoon 
Of which a litile gristle grows— you call it— 
Hobin Hood. The raven's bone. 
Marian. Now o'er head sat a raven 
On a sere bough, a grown, great bird, and boars*. 
Who, all the while the deer was breaking up, 
So croak'd and cried for't, as all the huntsmen. 
Especially old Scaiblock, tbought it ominous.** 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 151 

Not aught that, glean'd from heaven or hell, 
Yon fiend-begotten monk can tell. 
The Chieftain joins him, see — and now, 
Together they descend the brow." 

VI. 

And, as they came, with Alpine's Lord 

The Hermit Monk held solemn word : 

" Roderick ! it is a fearful strife, 

For man endow'd with mortal life, 

Whose shroud of sentient clay can still 

Feel feverish pang and fainting chill, 

Whose eye can stare in stony trance, 

Whose hair can rouse like warrior's lance,— 

'Tis hard for such to view unfurled, 

The curtain of the future world. 

Yet, witness every quaking limb, 

My sunken pulse, mine eyeballs dim, 

My soul with harrowing anguish torn, 

This for my Chieftain have I borne I — 

The shapes that sought my fearful couch, 

A. human tongue may ne'er avouch ; 

No mortal man, — save he, who, bred 

Betweeri the living and the dead, 

Is gifted beyond nature's law, — 

Had e'er survived to say he saw. 

At length the fateful answer came, 

In characters of living flame ! 

Not spoke in word, nor blazed in scroll, 

But borne and branded on my soul ; — 

Which spills the foremost foeman's life,* 

That party conquers in the strife." — t 

* [MS.--'" Whi'h foremost spills a foeman's life.") 
t Though this be in the text described as a response 
of the Taghairui, or Oracle of the Hide, it was of it- 
self an augury frequently attended to. The fate of 



152 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 
VII. 

'* Thanks, Brian, for thy zeal and care ! 
Good is thine aiiojury, and fair, 
Clan-Alpine ne'er in battle stood, 
But first our broadswords tasied blood. 
A surer victim still I know, 
Self-offer'd to the auspicious blow : 
A spy has sought my land this morn, — 
No eve shall witness his return ! 
My followers guard each pass's mouth, 
To east, to westward, and to south ; 
Red Murdoch, bribed to be his guide,* 
Has charge to lead his steps aside, 
Till, in deep path or dingle brown, 
He light on those shall bring him down.t 
— But see, who comes his news to show ! 
Malise 1 what tidings of the foe ?" — 

VIII. 

" At Doune, o'er many a spear and glaive, 
Two barons proud their banners wave. 
I saw the Moray's silver star. 
And mark'd the sable pale of Mar." — 
*' By Alpine's soul, high tidings those ! 
I love to hear of worthy foes. 

the battle was often anticipated in the imagination of 
the combatants, by observing which party first shed 
blood. It is said the Highlanders under Montrose 
were so deeply imbued with this notion, that on the 
morning of the battle of Tippermoor, they murdered 
a defenceless herdsman, whom they found in the 
fields, merely to secure an advantage of so much 
consequence to their parly. 
* (MS.-" The clansman vainly deem'd his-guide.") 
t (MS.-" He light on those shall stab him down.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 153 

When move they on ?" — "To-morrow's noon* 
Will see them here for battle boune." — t 
*' Then shall it see a meeting stern ! — 
But, for the place — say, couldst ihou learn 
Naught of the friendly clans of Earn? 
Strengthened by them, we well might bide 
The battle on Benledi's side. 
Thou couldst not ? — well ! Clan-Alpine's men 
Shall man the Trosach's shaggy glen ; 
Within Loch Katrine's gorge we'll fight, 
All in our maids' and matrons' sight, 
Each for his hearth and household fire, 
Father for child, and son tor sire, 
Lover for maid beloved I — but why — 
Is it the breeze affects mine eye ? 
Or dost thou come, ill-omen'd tear ! 
A messenger of doubt or fear? 
No ! sooner may the Saxon lance 
Unfix Benledi from his stance, 
Than doubt or terror can pierce through 
The unyielding heart of Roderick Dhu I 
'Tis stubborn as his trusty targe. — t 
Each to his post! — all know their charge." 
The pibroch sounds, the bands advance. 
The broadswords gleam, the banners dance, 
Obedient to the Chieftain's glance. 
-I turn me from the martial roar, 
And seek Coir-Uriskin once more. 

C'Thissun) 
♦ [MS.''When move they on7 )i'Po j„ ( at noon 

Tis said will see them march from Doune.' 

• Cmakes) 

'To-morrow then )g_gg i meeting stern.' 

I For buttle bonne-~rea.dy for battle. 
(MS.-" 'Tis stubborn as his Highland large. ') 



154 THK LADY Of IfHE LAKE, 

IX. 

Where is the Douglas ? — he is gone ; 
And Ellen sits on the gray stone 
Fast by the cave, and makes her moan; 
While vainly Allan's words of cheer 
Are pour'd on her unheeding ear. — 
" He will return — Dear lady, trust ! — 
With joy return ; — he will — he must. 
Well was it lime to seek, afar, 
Some refuge from impending war, 
When e'en Clan-Alpine's rugged swarm 
Are cow'd by the approaching storm. 
I saw their boats with many a light, 
Floating the live-long yesternight, 
Shifting like flashes darted forth* 
By the red streamers of the north ; 
I mark'd at morn how close they ride, 
Thick moor'd by the lone islet's side. 
Like wild-ducks couching in the fen, 
When stoops the hawk upon the glen. 
Since this rude race dare not abide 
The peril on the mainland side. 
Shall not thy noble father's care 
Some safe retreat for thee prepare ?"— 

♦ (MS.—" Thick as the flashes darted forth 
By morrice-dancers of the north; 

And saw at morn their [^^'^^^ "<1«» 
(little fleet, 

Close monr'd by the lone islet's side. 
Bince this rude race dare not abide 
Upon their native mountain f*ide. 
*Tis fit that DougUs should provide 
For his dear child some safe abode, 
And soon be comes to point the road." 



TMK LADT or THE tAS<« 15S 



X. 

BLLEW. 

" No, Allan, no ! Pretext so kind* 
My wakeful terrors could not blind. 
When in such tender tone, yet grave, 
Douglas a parting blessing gave, 
T he tear that giisten'd in his eye 
Drown'd not his purpose fix'd on high. 
My soul, though feminine and weak, 
Can image his : e'en as the lake. 
Itself disturb'd by slightest stroke, t 
Reflects the invulnerable rock. 
He hears report of battle rife, 
He deems himself the cause of strife. 
J saw him redden, when the theme 
Turn'd, Allan, on thine idle dream, 
Of Malcolm Graeme, in fetters bound, 
Which I, thou saidst, about him wound. 
Think'st thou he trow'd thine omen aught? 
Oh no ! 'twas apprehensive thought 
For the kind youth, — for Roderick too— 
(Let me be just) that friend so true ; 
In danger both, and in our cause ! 
Minstrel, the Douglas dare not pause. 
Why else that solemn warning given, 
' If not on earth, we meet in heaven !' 
Why else to Cambus-kenneth's fane, 
If eve return him not again. 
Am I to hie, and make me known ? 

* (MS. — " No, Allan, no ! His words so kind 
Were but pretexts my fears lo blind. 
When in such solemn tone and grave, 
Douglas a parting blessing pave.") 

f [MS.— "Itself disturb'd by slightest shock, 
Reflects the adamantine rock.") 



156 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Alas ! he goes to Scotland's throne, 
Buys his friend's safety with his own :- 
He goes to do — what I had done, 
Had Douglas' daughter been his son I" 

XI. 

" Nay, lovely Ellen ! — dearest, nay ! 
If aught should his return delay, 
He only named yon holy fane 
As fitting place to meet again. 
Be sure he's safe : and for the Graeme,- 
Heaven's blessing on his gallant name ! 
My vision'd si^ht may yet prove true, 
Nor bode of ill to him or you. 
"When did my gifted dream beguile ? 
Think of the stranger at the isle, 
And think upon the harpings slow, 
That presaged this approaching wo ! 
Sooth was my prophecy of fear ; 
Believe it when it augurs cheer. 
Would we had left this dismal spot ! 
Ill luck still haunts a fairy grot. 
Of such a wondrous tale I know- 
Dear lady, change that look of wo, 
My harp was wont thy grief to cheer."- 



" Well, be it as thou wilt ; I hear, 
But cannot stop the bursting tear.' 
The minstrel tried his simple art. 
But distant far was Ellen's heart 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 157 

XII. 

BALLAD.* 

ALICE BRAND. 

Merry it is in the good greenwood, 

When the mavist and merlet are singing, 

When the deer sweeps by, and the hounds are in 
cry, 
And the hunter's horn is ringing. 

* This little fairy tale is founded upon a very curious 
Danish ballad, which occurs in the Ktzmpe Viser, a 
rolleciion of heroic songs, first pulilished in 1591, and 
reprinted in 1695. inscribed by Anders Sofrensen, the 
collector and editor, to Sophia, Queen of Denmark. 
I have been favored with a literal translation of th« 
original by my learned friend Mr. Robert Janiieson, 
whose deep knowledge of Scandinavian antiquities 
will, 1 hope, one day be displayed in illustration of 
the history of Scottish Ballad and Song, for wiiich 
no man possesses more ample materials. The story 
will remind the readers of the Border Minstrelsy of 
the tale of Young Tamlane. But this is only a solita- 
ry and not very marked instance of coincidence, 
whereas several of the other ballads in the same col- 
lection find exact counterparts in the Kampe Viser, 
Which may have been the originals will be a ques- 
tion for future antiquaries. Mr. Jamit-son. to secure 
the power of literal translation, has adopted the old 
Scottish idiiim, which approaches so near to that of 
the Danish, as almost to give word for word, as well 
as line for line, and indeed in many verses the or- 
thography alone is altered. As Wester Haf, mention- 
ed in the first stanza of the ballad, means the West 
Sea, in opposition to the Baltic orEast Sea, Mr. Jam- 
ieson inclines to be of opinion, that the scene of the 
disenchantment is laid in one of the Orkney, or He- 
bride Islands. To each veise in the original is added 
a burden, having a kind of meaning of^ its own, but 
t Tbrusb. t Blackbird. 



158 THG LADr or THE LAKE. 

" OAlice Brand, my native land 

Is lost for love of you ; 
And we must hold by wood and wold, 

As outlaws wont to do. 

"O Alice, 'twas all for thy locks so bright, 

And 'iwas all for thine eyes so blue, 
That on the night of our luckless flight, 

Thy brother bold I slew. 
" Now must I teach to hew the beech, 

The hand that held the glaive, 
For leaves to spread our lowly bed, 

And stakes to fence our cave. 
** And for vest of pall, thy fingers small, 

That wont on harp to stray, 
A cloak must shear from theslaughter'd deer 

To keep the cold away." — 
" O Richard ! if my brother died, 

'Twas but a fatal chance ; 
For darkling was the battle tried, 

And fortune sped the lance.* 
"If pall and vair no more I wear. 

Nor thou the crimson sheen. 
As warm, we'll say, is the russet gray, 

As gay the forest-green. 
" And, Richard, if our lot be hard. 

And lost thy native land, 
Still Alice has her own Richard,. 

And he his Alice Brand." 

not applicable, at least uniformly applicable to tne 
Benseof the stanza to which it is subjoined ; ihii ia 
verv common both in Danish and Scottish song. (Set 
p. 274, &c.. at the end.) 
* [MS.—" 'Twas but a midnight chance j 
For blindfold was the battle plied, 
And fortune held the lance."] 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 159 

XIII. 

BALLAD CONTINUED. 

*Tis merry, 'tis merry, in good greenwood, 

So blithe Lady Alice is singing ; 
On the beech's pride, and oak's brown side, 

Lord Richard's axe is ringing. 

Up spoke the moody Elfin King, 

Who wonn'd within the hill, — * 
Like wind in the porch of a ruin'd church, 

His voice was ghostly shrill. 

*In a long dissertation upon the Fiury Superstitions, 
published in ttie Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, 
the most valuable pan of which was supplied by my 
learned and indefatigaiile friend. Dr. John Leyden, 
most of the crcumsiances are coUecied which can 
throw light upon the popular belief wliich even yet 
prevails respecting them in Sroilaiid. Dr Grahame, 
autlior of an enteriaining work upon the scenery of 
the Perthshire Highlands, already frequently quoted, 
has recorded, wiih great accuracy, tie peculiar 
tenets h' Id by the Highlanders on this topic, in the 
vicinity of Loch Katrine. The leariied author is inclin- 
ed to deduce tlie whole mythology from the Druidical 
feysteni, — an opinion to which there are many objec- 
tions. 

"The Daoine SbV, or Men of Peace of the Highlan- 
ders, though not absolutely malevolent. are believed 
to be a peevish, repining race of beings, who possess- 
ing themselves but a scanty portion of happiness, 
are suppos: d to envy mankind their more complete 
and substantial enjoyments. They are supposed to 
enjoy, in their subterraneous recesses, a sort of 
shadowy happiness, — a tinsel grandeur; which, how- 
ever, they would willingly exchange for the more 
Bolid joys of mortality. 

"They are believed to inhabit certain round grassy 
eminences, where they celebrate their nocturnal fes- 
tivities by the lightoftbe oiuon. About a mile beyond 



160 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

" Why sounds yon stroke on beech and oak, 
Our moonlight circle's screen?* 

the source of the Forth, above Lochcon, there is a 
place called Coirshi'an, or the Cove of the Men of 
Peace, wliich is still supposed to be a favourite place 
of their residence. In the neighborhood, are to be 
seen nriany round conical eminences : particularly 
one, near the head of the lake, by the skirts of which 
many are still afraid to pass after sunset. It is be- 
lieved, that, if on Hallow-eve, any person, alone, goes 
round one of these hills nine limes, towards the left 
hand {sinistrorsum) a door shall open, by which he 
will be admitted into their subterraneous abodes. — 
Many, it is said, of mortal race, have been entertain- 
ed in tiieir secret recesses. They have been received 
into the most splendid apartments, and regaled with 
the most sumptuous banquets and delicious wines. 
Their females surpass the daughters of men in beauty. 
The seemingly happy inhabitants pass their time in 
festivity, and in dancing to notes of the softest music. 
But unhappy is the mortal who joins in their joys, or 
ventures to partake of their dainties. By this indul- 
gence, he forfeits forever the society of men, and is 
bound down irrevocably to the condition of Shi'ich, 
or Man of Peace. 

'* A woman, as is reported, in the Highland tradi- 
tion, was conveyed, in days of yore, into the secret 
recesses of the Men of Peace. There she was 
recognized by one who had formerly been an ordi- 
nary mortal, but who had, by some fatality, become 
associated wiih the Shi'ichs. This acquaintance, 
still retaining some portion of human benevolence, 
warned her of her danger, and counselled her, as she 
valued her liberty, to abstain from eating or drinking 
with them, for a certain space of time. She complied 
with the counsel of her friend ; and when the period 
assigned was elapsed, she found herself again upon 
earth restored to the society of mortals. It is added, 
that when she examined the viands whch had been 
presented to her, and which had appeared so tempt- 
♦ See note on next page. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 161 

Or who comes here to chase the deer, 
Beloved ot our Elfin Queen ?t 

ing to the eye, they were found, now that the en- 
cha ntment was removed, to consist only of the refuse 
of tlieearth."— P. 107—111. 
* [MS — " Our fairy rinfflet.'s screen."] 
t It has been already observed, that fniries, if not 
positively malevolent, are ciipricious and easily of- 
fended. They are, like other proprietors of the forest, 
peculiarly jea'oiis of their rights of vert and venison^ 
as appears from the cause of offence taken, in the 
original Danish ballad. This jealousy was albo 
an attribute of the northern Duergar, or dwarfs; to 
many of whose d stinctions the fairies seem to have 
succeeded, if indeed, they are not the same class of 
beings. In tlie huge metrical record of German chiv- 
alry, entitled the Helden-Buch. Sir Hildebraiid, and 
the other heroes of whom it tre.its, are engaged in 
one of their most desperate adventures filSni a rash 
violation of the rose garden of an Elfin, or Dwarf 
King. 

There are yet traces of a belief in tliis worst and 
most malicious order of Fairies, among the Bor- 
der wilds. Dr. Leyden has introduced such a dwarf 
into h 8 hallad entitled, the Court of Keeldar. and 
has not forgot his characteristic detestation of the 
cbase. 

"The third blast that young Keeldar blew, 

Still stood the limber fern. 
And a wee man, of swarthy hue. 

Upstarted by a cairn. 

'* His russet weeds were brown as heath, 

Th;it clollies the upland fell. 
And the hair of liis head was frizzly red 

As the purple heather-bell. 

•* An urchin clad in prickles red, 

Clung cow'ring to his arm ; 
The hounds they howl'd, and backward fled 

As if struck by fairy charm. 

11 o 



;102 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Or who may dare on wold to wear 
The fairie's fatal green ?* 

♦*' Why rises high the stag hound's cry. 
Where stag-hound ne'er should be 1 

Why wakes that horn the silent morn, 
Without the reave of me ) — 

•' 'Brown dwarf, that o'er the inuirland strayi. 

Thy name to Keeidar tell ! ' — 
*The lirown Man of the iVluirs, who stays 

Beneath the heather-bell. 

•' "Tis sweet heneatli the heather-bell 

To live in autumn brown ; 
And sweet to hear t!ie lav'rock's swell, 

Far, far from tower and town. 

" 'But wo betide the shrilling horn, 

The charge's surly cheer ; 
And ever that hunter is forlorn, 

Whom first at morn I hear.' " 

The poetical picture here given of the Duergar cor- 
responds exactly with the following Norihumurian le- 
gend, with which I was lately favoured by my learned 
and kind friend, Mr. Surtee.s, of Mainsforth, who haa 
bestowed indefatigable labor upon the antiquities of 
the English Border counties. The subject is in itself 
so curious, that the length of the note will, I hope, be 
pardoned. 

" I have only one record to offer for the appearance 
of our Northumbrian Duergar. My narratrix is 
Elizabeth Cockburn, an old wife of Offerton, in this 
county, whose credit in a case of this kind, will not, 
I hope, be much impeached, when I add, that she is 
by her dull neighbours, supposed to be occasionally 
insane ; but. by herself, to be at those times endowed 
with a faculty of seeing visions, and spectra] appear- 
ances, which shun the common ken. 

" In the year before the great rebellion, two young 
men from Newcastle were sporting on the high moors 
above Elsdon, and after pursuing their game several 
* See note on pa^e 164. 



THE LAD7 OF THE LAKE. 163 

*' Up, Urgan, up ! to yon mortal hie, 

For thou wert christened man ;* 
For cross or sign thou wilt not fly, 

For mutier'd word or ban. 

hours, sat down to dine in a green glen, near one of 
the tnouiiiaiti streams. After their repast, the younger 
lad ran to the brook for water, and after stooping to 
drink, was surprised, on lifting his head again, by the 
appearance of a brown dwarf, who stood on a crag 
covered with brackens, across the burn. This extra- 
ordinary personage did not appear to be above half 
the stature of a cotninon man, but was uncommonly 
stout and broad-built, having the appearance of vast 
strength. His dress was entirely brown, the colour of 
the brackens, and his head covered with frizzled red 
hair. His countenance was expressive of the most sav- 
age ferocity, and his eyes glared like a hull It seems 
he addressed the young man first, thrtatening him 
with hi? vengeance, for having trespassed on his de- 
mesnes, and asking him if he knew in whose presence 
he stood'' The youth now replied, that he now suppo- 
sed him to he the lord of the moors ; that he offended 
through ignorance, and offered to bring him the game 
he had killfd. The dwarf was a little mollified by this 
submission, but remarked that, nothing could be more 
offensive to h:m than such an off'-r, as he considered 
the wild animals as his subjects, and never failed to 
avenge their destruction. He condescend^-d further 
to inform him, that he was like himself, mortal, 
though of years far exceeding the lot of common hu- 
manity; and (what I should not have had an idea 
of) that he hoped for salvation. He never, he added, 
fed on any thing that had life, but lived, in the sum- 
mer, on vvhortle-berries, and in winter, on nuts and 
apples, of which he had great store in the woods. 
Finally, he invited his new acquaintance to accompa- 
ny him home, and partake of his hospiiality: an offer 
which the youth was on the point of accepting, and 
was just going to spring across the brook, (which if 
he had done, says Elizabeth, the dwarf would cer- 
« Se« note on page 164. 



164 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

" Lay on him the curse of the wither'd heart, 

The curse of the sleepless eye ; 
Till he wish and pray that his life would part, 

Nor yet find leave to die." 

tainly have torn him in pieces,) when his foot was 
arrested by tlie voice of his companion, who thought 
he had tarried long; and on looking round again, ' the 
wee brown man was fled.' The story adds, that he 
was imprudent enough to slight the admonition, and 
to sport over the moors on his way homeward ; but 
Boon after his return, he fell into a lingering disorder, 
and died within the year." 

* As the Daoine Shi\ or Men of Pence, wore green 
habits, they were supposed to take offence when any 
mortals ventured to assume their favourite colour. 
Indeed, from some reason, which has been, perhaps, 
originally a general superstition, green ia held in 
Scotland to be unlucky to particular tribes and coun- 
ties. The Caithness men, wlio hold this belief, allege, 
as a reason, that their hand^ wore that colour when 
they were cut off at the battle of Flodden ; and for 
the same reason they avoid crossing the Ord on a 
Monday, being the day of the week on which their 
ill-omened array set forth. Green is also disliked by 
those of the name of Ogilby ; but more especially 
is it held fatal to the whole clan of Grahame. It is 
remembered of an aged gentleman of that name, 
that when his horse fell in a fox-chase, he accounted 
for it at once, by observing, that the whip-cord at- 
tached to his lash was of this unlucky colour. 

f The Elves were supposed gr-^atly to envy the 
privileges acquired by Christian initiation, and they 
gave to those mortals who had fallen into their pow- 
er, a certain precedence, founded upon this advanta- 
fseous distinctmn. Tamelane, in the old ballad, 
describes his own rank in the faity procession : — 
"For I ride on a milk-white steed, 

And aye nearest the town ; 
Because I was a christen'd knight 
They gave me that renown." 

1 presume, that, in the Danish Ballad of the Elfin 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 165 

XIV. 

BALLAD CONTINUED. 

'Tis merry, 'tis merry, in good greenwood, 
Though the birds have still'd their singing ; 

The evening blaze doth Alice raise, 
And Richard is fagots biinging. 

Gray, [page2&'2.] the obstinacy of the "Weiest Elf." 
who would not flee for cross or sign, is to be derived 
from the circumstance of his having been a " cbris- 
ten'd man." 

Ho^ eager the Elves were to obtain for their off- 
spring the prerogatives of Christianity, will be proved 
by the following story : 'In the district called Haga, 
in Iceland,dweli a nobleman called Sigward Forster, 
who had an intrigue wiih one of the subterranean 
female-*. The Elf became pregnant, and exacted 
from her lover a firm promise that he would procure 
the baptism of the infant. At the appoiiited time, 
the mother came to the churchyard, on the wall of 
which she placed a golden cup, and a stole for the 
priest, agreeable lo ihe custom of making an offering 
at baptism. She then stood a little apart. When the 
priest left the church, he inquired the meaning of what 
he saw, and demanded of Sigward, if he avowed him- 
self the father of the child. But Sigward, ashamed 
of the connection, denied the paterniiy. He was then 
interrogated if he desired that the child should be bap- 
tised, but this also he answered in the negativclest by 
such request, he should admit himself to be the father. 
On which the child was left untouched and unbapti- 
sed. Whereupon the mother in extreme wrath, 
snatched up the infant and the cup, and retired, leav- 
ing the priestly cope, of which fragmenis are still in 
preservation. But this female denounced and impo- 
sed upon Sigward, and his posterity, lo the n ntii 
generation, a singular disease, with which many of 
his descendants are afflicted at this day." Thus wrote 
Emar Dudmond, pastor of the parish of Garpsdale, in 
Iceland, a man profoundly versed in learning, from 



l66 THE LADY OF THE LAKV. 

Up Urgan starts, that hideous dwarf, 

Before Lord Richard stands, 
And, as he crossed and bless'd himself, 
" I fear not sign," quoth the grisly elf, 

" That is made with bloody hands." 

But out then spoke she, Alice Brand, 

That woman void of fear, — 
*' And if there's blood upon his hand, 

'Tis but the blood of deer." — 

" Now loud thou liest, thou bold of mood! 
: It cleaves unto his hand, 
The stain of thine own kindly blood. 
The blood of Ethert Brand." 

Then forward stepp'd she, Alice Brand, 

And made the holy sign,^- 
**And if there's blood on Richard's hand, 

A spotless hand is mine. 

"And I conjure thee, demon elf, 

By Him whom demons fear, 
To show us whence thou art thyself. 

And what thine errand here 1" — 

XV. 

BALLAD CONTINUED. 

" 'Tis merry, 'tis merry, in Fairy-land, 

When fairy birds are singing, 
When the court doth ride by their monarch' side, 

With bit and bridle ringing: 

whose manuscript it was extracted by the learned 
Torfaus.—Historia Hrolfi, Krakii Hafnia. ITib^pre- 
fatio. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 167 

" And gayly shines the Fairy-land — 

But ail is glistening show.* 
Like the idle gleam that December's beam 

Can dart on ice and snow. 

* No fact respecting Fairy land seems to be bettet 
asceriained than the fantastic and illusory nature of 
Iheir apparent pleasure and splendour, li has been 
already noticed in the former quotations from Dr. 
Grahaine's entertaining volume, and may be confirm- 
ed by the following Highl-md tradition. 'A woman, 
whose new-born child had been conveyed by them 
into their secret abodes, was also carried thither 
herself, to remain however only till she should suckle 
her infant. She, one day. during this period, observed 
the Sch 'ichs busily employed in mixing various in- 
gredients in =1 boiling cauldron ; and, as soon as the 
composition was prepared, she remarked that they 
all carefully anointed their eyes with it, laying the 
remainder aside for future use. In a moment when 
they were all absent, she also attempted to anoint her 
eyes with the precious drug, but had tme to apply it 
to one eye only when the Daoine Shi' returned. But 
with that eye she was lienceforih enabled to see 
every thing as it really passed in their secret abodes; 
--She saw every object, not as she hitherto had done, 
in deceptive splendour and elegan; e. hut in iis genu- 
ine colours and form. The gaudy ornaments of the 
apartment were reduced to ihe walls of a gloomy 
cavern. Soon after, having discharged her office, 
she was dismissed to her own home. Still, however, 
she retained the faculty of seeing with her medicated 
eye, every thing that was done, any where in her 
presence, by the deceptive art of the order. One day 
amidst a throng of people, she chanced to observe the 
ShVich, or man of peace, in whose possession she had 
left her child ; though to every other eye invisible — 
Prompted by maternal affection, she inddverfently 
accosted him, and began to inquire after the welfare 
of her child The man of peace, astonished at thus 
being recognised by one of the mortal race, demand- 
ed bow she had been enabled to discover him. Awed 



168 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

"And fading, like that varied gleam, 

Is our inconstant shape, 
Who now like knight and lady seem, 

And now like dwarf and ape. 

\yy the terrible frown of his countenance, she ac- 
knowledged what she had done. He spat in her eye, 
and extinguished it forever." — Graiiamk's Sketches, 
p. 116—118. It is very remarkable that this story, 
translated by Dr. Graliame from popular Gaelic tradi- 
dition. is to be found in theOiia Iniperialia of Gervase 
of Tilbury.* A work of great interest migiit be com- 
piled upon the origin of the popular fiction, and the 
transmission of similar tales from age to age, and 
from country to country. The mythology of one 
period would then app' ar to pass into the romance of 
the next century, and that into the nursery-tale of the 
Bubsequenl ages. Such an investigation. while it went 
greatly to diminish our ideas of the richness of human 

* (This story is still current in the moors of Stafibnlshire, and adapted 
by the peasantry to their own meri lian. I haverepea'euly heard it told, 
exactly as herej by rustics who could not read. My last authority wai a 
nailer near Che.iille. — Ji. Jamieson.) 

(One other legend, in a similar strain, lately comnimunicated by a very 
intelligent youn» lady, is given, principally because it furnishes an oppor- 
tunity of pursuing an in^;enious idea suggested by Mr. Scott, in ooe of 
his learned notes to the Lady of the Lake. 

" A young man one day roaming through the forest, obser\ed a number 
of persons all dressed in green, issuing frmi one nf those rfiund eminences 
which are commonly accounted fairy hills. Each of them in successioa 
called upon a person by name to fetch his horse. A caparisoned steed in- 
•tantly appeared ; they all mounted and sallied forth into the regions of 
the air. ') he young man. like Ali Baba in the Arabian Nights, ventured 
to pronounce the same name, and t.xlled for his horse. The steed instant- 
ly appeared ; he mounted and was soon joined with the fairy choir. Hs 
remained with them for a year, going about with them to fairs and wed- 



ding?, and feasting, though unseen by mortal eyes, on the victuals that 
were exhibited on those occasions. They had, one day, gone to a wed. 
ding, where the cheer was abundant. During the feast the bridegroom 



muzcd. The young man, according to the usual custom, said, ' GoJ l)Ic 
you '.' The fairies were offended at" the pronunciation of the sacred name^ 
and assured him, that if he dared to repeat it Uiey would punish him. 
The bridegroom sneezed a second time. He repeated his Weijtng; they 
threatened more tremendous vengeance. He.nir«eri a third lime ; he 
blessed him as befnre. The fairies were enraged; they tumbled him from 
» precipice : but he found himself unhurt, and w .as rcs'oied to the society 
of mortals."— Z)>. Grahanu's Sketcha, p. 255— 7.— See Note ♦' fairy Su« 
perslitioDs," Rob Roy.) 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 169 

*' It was between the night and day, 

When the Fairy King has power, 
That I sunk down in sinful fray, 
And, 'twixt life and death, was snatch'd away 

To the joyless Elfin bower.* 
•■ 
Invention, would also show that these fictions, how- 
ever wild :ind childish, po3se>s such charms for the 
populace, as enable llieni to penetrate into countries 
unconnected \>y nr)aijners and language, and having no 
apparent iniercourse, to afford the means of trans- 
mission. It would carry me far beyond my bounds, 
to produce instances of this comniuiiiiy of fable, 
among nations who never borrowed from each other 
any thine intrinsically worth learning. Indeed the 
Wide diffusion of popular fictions may be compared to 
the facility with which straws and feathers are dis- 
persed abroad by the wind, while valuable metals 
cannot be transported without trouble and labour. — 
There lives, I believe, only one gentleman, whose 
unlimited acquaintance with this subject might en- 
able him to do it justice ; I mean my fr end Mr. 
Francis Douce, of the British Museum, whose usual 
kindness will, I hope, pardon me for mentioning his 
name, while on a subject so closely connected with 
his extensive and curious researches. 

* The subjects of Fairy-land were recruited from 
the regions of humanity by a sort of cr/wpijtg' system, 
which extended to adults as well as infants. Many 
of those who were in this world supposed to have 
dischareed the di-bt of nature, had only become deni- 
zens of the "l.onde of Fnery." In the beautiful 
Fairy Romance of Orfee and Ileurodiis (Orpheus and 
Erudice,) in the Auchinleck MS. is the following 
striking enumeration of persons thus abstracted from 
middle earth. Mr. Ritt>on unfortunately published 
this romance from a copy in which the following and 

any other highly poetical passages do not occur : 

••Then he gan hiholde about al, 
And seighe full liggeand with in the wal, 
P 



170 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

" But wist I of a woman bold, 
Who thrice my brow durst sign, 

1 might regain my mortal mould, 
As fair a form as thine." 

She cross'd him once — she cross'd him tjyice- 

That lady was so brave ; 
The fouler grew his goblin hue, 

The darker grew the cave. 

She cross'd him thrice, that Iddy bold ; 

He rose beneath her hand 
The fairest knight on Scottish mould, 

Her brother, Ethert Brand ! 

Merry it is in good greenwood, 

When the mavis and merle are singing, 

But merrier were they in Dunfermline gray 
When all the bells were ringing. 

XVf. ^ 

Just as the minstrel sounds were staid, 
A stranger climb'd the steepy glade : 

Of folk that wer thidder y-brought, 

A.nd thought dede and nere nought; 

gome stode with outen hadde; 

And sum none aimes tiade , 

Aud sum thiirch the bodi hadde wounde: 

And sum lay wode ybonnd; 

And sum armed on hors sete; 

And sum astrangled as thai ete ; 
And sum war ii! water adreynt; 
And sum with fire al forschreynt; 
Wives ther lay on childe bedde; 
Sum dede, and sum awedde; 
And wonder fele ther lay besides. 
Right as thai slepe her undertides; 
Eche was thus in the warld y-nome, 
With fairi tbider y-come." 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 171 

His martial step, his stately mien, 

His hunting suit of Lincoln green, 

His eagle glance, remembrance claims — 

'Tis Snowdoun's Knight, 'lis James Fitz- James. 

Ellen beheld as in a dream, 

Then, starting, scarce suppress'd a scream : 

" O stranger I in such hour of fear. 

What evil hap has brought thee here ?"— 

"An evil hap how can it be, 

That bids me look again on thee ? 

By promise bound, my former guide 

Met me betimes this morning tide, 

And marshalPd, over bank and bourne, 

The happy path of my return." — 

" The happy path I — what ! said he nought 

Of war, of battle to be fought. 

Of guarded pass ?" — " No, by my faith ! 

Nor saw I aught could augur scathe,"— 

" Oh haste thee, Allan, to the kern, 

^Yonder his tartans I discern ; 

Learn thou his purpose, and conjure 

That he will guide the stranger sure ! — 

What prompted thee, unhappy man ? 

The meanest serf in Roderick's clan 

Had not been bribed by love or fear, 

Unknown to him to guide thee here." — 

xvn. 

" Sweet Ellen, dear my life must be, 

Since it is worthy care from thee : 

Yet life I hold but idle breath, 

"When love or honour's weigh'd with death. 

Then let me profit by my chance 

And speak my purpose bold at once. 

1 come to bear thee from a wild, 

Where ne'er before such blossom smiled ; 



172 THE t'ADY OF THE LAKE. 

By this soft hand to lead thee far 

From frantic scenes of feud and war. 

Near Bochastle my horses wait ;* 

They bear us soon to Stirling gate. 

I'll place thee in a lovely bower, 

I'll guard thee like a tender flower" 

" O ! hush, Sir Knight ! 'twere female art, 

To say 1 do not read thy heart ; 

Too much, before, my selfish ear 

Was idly soothed my praise to hear.t 

That fatal bait hath lured thee back. 

In deathful hour, o'er dangerous track ; 

And how, O how, can I atone 

The wreck my vanity brought on ! — 

One way remains — 111 tell him all — 

Yes! struggling bosom, forth it shall ! 

Thou, whose light folly bears the blame, 

Buy thine own pardon with thy shame ! 

But first — my faiher is a man 

Outlaw'd and exiled, under ban ; 

The price of blood is on his head, 

With me 'twere infamy to wed. — 

Still wouldst thou speak ?— then hear the truth ! 

Fitz-James, there is a noble youth, — 

If yet he is ! — exposed for me 

And mine to dread extremity — 

Thou hast the secret of my heart ; 

Forgive, be generous, and depart !" 

XVIII. 

Fitz-James knew every wily train 

A lady's fickle heart to gain, 

But here he knew and felt them vain. 

* [MS.— "By Cambusmore my horses wait."] 
t [MS,— "Was idly fond thy praise to bear."] 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE, 173 

There shot no glance from Ellen's eye, 

To give her steadfast speech the lie ; 

In maiden confidence she stood, 

Though mantled in her cheek ihe blood, 

And told her love with such a sigh 

Of deep and hopeless agony, 

As death had seaPd her Malcolm's doom, 

And she sat sorrowing on his tomb. 

Hope vanish"d from Fitz-James's eye, 

Bui not with hope fled sympathy. 

He proffer'd to attend her side, 

As brother would a sister guide. — 

" O ! little know'st thou Roderick's heart ! 

Safer for both we go apart. 

O haste thee, and from Allan learn, 

If thou mayst trust yon wily kern." 

With hand upon his forehead laid, 

The conflict of his mind to shade, 

A parting step or two he made ; 

Then, as some thought had cross'd his brain, 

He paused, and turn'd, and came again. 

XIX. 

*' Hear, lady, yet, a parting word I 
It chanced in fight that my poor sword 
Preserved the life of Scotland's lord. 
This ring the grateful monarch gave,* 
And bade, when I had boon to crave, 
To bring it back and boldly claim 
The recompense that 1 would name. 
Ellen, I am no courtly lord, 
But one who lives by lance and sword. 
Whose castle is his helm and shield. 
His lordship the embattled field. 

• [MS""Thi8 ring of gold the monarch gave."] 



174 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

What from a prince can I demand, 

Who neither reck of state nor land ? 

Ellen, thy hand — ihe ring is thine ;* 

Each guard and usher knows the sign. 

Seek thou the king without delay ;T 

This signet shall secure thy way ; 

And claim thy suit, whate'er it be, 

As ransom of his pledge to me." 

He placed the golden circlet on, 

Paus'd — kiss'd her hand — and then was gone. 

The aged Minstrel stood aghast, 

So hastily Fitz-James shot past. 

He joined his guide, and wending down 

The ridges of the mountain brown, 

Across the stream they took their way, 

That joins Loch Katrine to Achray. 

XX. 

All in the Trosach's glen was still, 

Noontide was sleeping on the hill ; 

Sudden his guide whoop'd loud and high— 

" Murdoch, was that a signal cry ?" 

He stammer'd forth, — " I shout to scaret 

Yon raven from his dainty fare." 

He look' d— he knew the raven's prey, 

His own .brave steed ; — " Ah ! gallant gray ! 

♦ (MS.— ''Permit this hand--the ring is thine.") 
•f (MS.--" 'Seek thou the King, and on thy knea 

Put forth thy suit, what e'er it be, 

As ransom of his pledge to me; 

My name and this shall make thy way.* 

He put the little signet on.") 
$ (MS.—" He stammer'd forth confused reply : 

•IJrTnight, 1 1 shouted but to scare 

Yon raven from his dainty fare.") 



THK LADY OF THE LAKE. 175 

For thee — for me, perchance — 'twere well 
We ne'er had seen the Trosach's deil. 
Murdoch, move first— but silently ; 
Whistle or whoop, and thou shall die !'* 
Jealous and sullen on they fared, 
Each silent, each upon his guard. 

XXI. 

Now wound the path its dizzy ledge 
Around a precipice's edge, 
When lo ! a wasted female form, 
Blighted by wrath of sun and storm, 
In tatter'd weeds and wild array,* 
Stood on a cliff beside the way, 
And glancing round her restless eye, 
Upon the wood, the rock, the sky, 
Seem'd naught to mark, yet all to spy. 
Her brow was wreath'd with gaudy broom ; 
With gesture wild she waved a plume 
Of feathers, which the eagles fling 
To crag and cliff from dusky wing ; 
Such spoils her desperate step had sought, 
Where scarce was footing for the goat. 
The tartan plaid she first descried, 
And shriek'd till all the rocks replied ; 
As loud she laugh "d when near they drew, 
For then the Lowland garb she knew ; 
And then her hands she wildly wrung. 
And then she wept, and then she sung— 
She sung !— the voice in better time. 
Perchance to harp or lute might chime ; 
And now, though strain'd and roughen'd, still 
Rung wildly sweet to dale and hill. 

• [MS.—" Wrapp'd in a taiter'd mantle gray."] 



176 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

XXII. 

SONG. 

They bid me sleep, they bid me pray, 

They say my brain is warp'd and rung— 
I cannot sleep on Highland brae, 

I cannot pray in Highland tongue. 
But were I now where Allan* glides, 
Or heard my native Devan's tides, 
So sweetly would I rest, and pray 
That Heaven would close my wintry day ! 
'Twas thus my hair they bade me braid, 

They made me to the church repair ; 
It was my bridal morn, they said, 

And my true love would meet me there. 
But wo betide the cruel guile. 
That drown' d in blood the morning smile ! 
And wo betide the fairy dream ! 
I only waked to sob and scream. 

xxni. 

" Who is this maid ? what means her lay ? 

She hovers o'er the hollow way, 

And flutters wide her mantle gray, 

As the lone heron spreads his wing, 

By twilight, o'er a haunted spring." 

*' 'Tis Blanche of Devan," Murdoch said, t 

" A crazed and captive Lowland maid, 

Ta'en on the morn she was a bride, 

When Roderick foray'd Devan-side. 

* [The Mian and Devan are two beautiful streams, 
the latter celebrated in the poetry of Burns, which 
descend from the hills of Perthshire into the great 
carse, or plain of Stirling.] 

t (MS. — "'A Saxon born, a crazy maid — 

Tis Blanche of Devan,' Murdoch said.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 177 

The gay bridegroom resistance made, 

And felt our Chief's unconquer'd blade. 

"T marvel she is now at large, 

But oft she 'scapes from Maudlin's charge.— 

Jlence, brain-sick fool !"— He raised his bow;— 

" Now, if thou sirikest her but one blow, 

I'll pitch ihee from the cliff as far 

As ever peasant pitch'd a bar !"— 

" Thanks, champion, thanks !" the Maniac cried, 

And press'd her to Fitz-James's side. 

" See the gray pennons I prepare* 

To seek my true-love through the air I 

I will not lend that savage groom, t 

To break his fall, one downy piume ! 

No I— deep amid disjointed stones, 

The wolves shall batten on his bones, 

And then shall his detested plaid, 

By bush and brier in mid air staid, 

Wave forth a banner fair and free. 

Meet signal for their revelry."— 

XXIV. 

" Hush thee, poor maiden, and be still !"— 
"■ O I thou look'st kindly, and I will. 
Mine eye has dried and wasted been, 
But still it loves the Lincoln green ; 
And, though mine ear is all unstrung, 
Still, still it loves the Lowland tongue. 

• (MS. — " With thee these pennons will I share, 
Then seek my true love through the air.") 

KMS. — "Bui I'll not lend that savage groonii 
To break his fall, one downy plume! 
Deep, deep 'mid yon disjointed stones, 
The wolf shall batten on his bones.") 
12 



178 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

*' For O my sweet William was forester true,* 
He stole poor Blanche's heart away ! 

His coat it was all of the greenwood hue, 
And so blithely he trill'd the Lowland lay ! 

" It was not that I meant to tell . . . 

But thou art wise, and guessest well." 

Then in a low and broken tone, 
And hurried note, the song went on, 
Still on the clansman, fearfully 
She fix'd her apprehensive eye ; 
Then turn'd it on the Knight, and then 
Her look glanced wildly o'er the glen. 

XXV. 

'* The toils are pitched, and the stakes are set, 

Ever sing merrily, merrily ; 
The bows I hey bend, and the knives they whe^ 

Hunters live so cheerily. 

" It was a stag, a stag of ten,t 

Bearing his branches sturdily ; 
He came stately down the glen, 

Ever sing hardily, hardily. 

*' It was there he met with a wounded doe, 

She was bleeding deathfully ; 
She warned him of the toils below, 

O, so faithfully, faithfully ! 

" He had an eye, and he could heed, 
Ever sing warily, warily ; 

* (MS.— "&weet William was a woodsman tru^ 
He stole poor Blanche's heart away! 
His coat was of the forest hue, 
And sweei he sung the Lowland lay."> 

t Having ten branches on his antlers." 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 179 

He had a foot, and he could speed- 
Hunters watch so narrowly."* 

XXVI. 

Fitz-James's mind was passion toss'd, 
When Ellen's hints and fears were lost ; 
But Murdoch's shout suspicion wrought, 
And Blanche's son^ conviction brought. 
Not like a stag that spies the snare, 
But lion of the hunt aware, 
He waved at once his blade on high, 
" Disclose thy treachery, or die !" 
Forth at full speed the Clansman flew,t 
But in his race his bow he drew. 
The shaft just grazed Fitz-James's crest, 
And thrill'd in Blanche's faded breast.— 
Murdoch of Alpine I prove thy speed, 
For ne'er had Alpine's sons such need! 
With heart of fire and foot of wind. 
The fierce avenger is behind ! 
Fate judges of the rapid strife — 
The forfeit death — the prize is life ! 
Thy kindred ambush lies before, 
Close couch'd upon the heathery moor; 

♦ No machinery can be conceived more clumsy for 
effecting the deliverance of a distressed hero, than 
the introduction of a mad woman, who, without 
knowing or caring ahoiit the wanderer, warns him, 
by asonsr, to talte care of the ambush that was set for 
him. The maniacs of poetry have indeed a preecrip- 
tive right to be musical, since the days of Ophelia 
downwards; but it is ratiier a rash extension of thia 
privilege to make them sing good sense, and to make 



sensible people be guided by them."— Jeffrey.] 
— '■ Forth at full speed the clansmai 
But in his race his bow he bent. 
Halte<i--ajul buck an arrow sent.") 



180 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Them couldst thou reach ! it may not be — * 
Thine ambush'd kin thou ne'er shall see, 
The fiery Saxon gains on thee ! 
—Resistless speeds the deadly thrust, 
As lightning strikes the pine to dust ; 
"With foot and hand Fitz-James must strain, 
Ere he can win his blade again. 
Bent o'er the fall'n, with falcon eye,t 
He grimly smiled to see him die ; 
Then slower wended back his way, 
Where the poor maiden bleeding lay. 

XXVII. 

She sate beneath the birchen- tree, 

Her elbow resting on her knee ; 

She had withdrawn the fatal shaft, 

And gazed on it, and feebly laiigh'd ; 

Her wreath of broom and feathers gray, 

Daggled with blood, beside her lay. 

The Knight to stanch the life-stream tried,— 

"Stranger, it is in vain !" she cried. 

''This hour of death has given me more 

Of reason's power than years before ; 

For, as these ebbing veins decay, 

My frenzied visions fade away. 

A helpless injured wretch I die,t 

And something rells me in thine eye, 

That thou wen my avenger born. — 

iSeest thou this little tress?— O 1 still I've worn 

* (MS. " It may not be— 

The fiery Saxon gains on tliee, 

Thine ambushed kin Ihou ne'er shaltseet 

Resistless as the lightning's flame. 

The thrust betwixt his shoulders came.") 

•f (MS.— '- Then o'er him hung, with falcon eye. 
And grimly smiled to see him die."] 

t MS.-" A guiltless injured wretch I die.*» 



THE LADY OF THE LAKK. 181 

This little tress of yellow hair, 

Through danger, frenzy, and despair ! 

It once was bright and clear as thine, 

But blood and tears hath dimm'd its shine. 

I will not tell thee when 'twas shred, 

Nor from what guiltless victim's head — 

My brain would turn ! — but it shall wave* 

Like plumage on thy helmet brave. 

Till sun andwind shall bleach the stain, 

And thou wilt bring it me again. — 

1 waver still. — God ! more bright 

Let reason beam her parting light ! — 

O I by thy knighthood's honoured sign, 

And for thy life preserved by mine, 

When thou shalt see a darksome man, 

Who boasts him Chief of Alpine's clan, 

With tartans broad and shadowy phime. 

And hand of blood, and brow ot gloom, 

Be thy heart bold, thy weapon strong, 

And wreak poor Blanche of Devan's wrong !— 

They watch for thee by pass and fell--- 

Avoid the paih---0 God ! farewell."--- 

XXVIIL 

A kindly heart had brave Fitz- James; 
Fast pour'd his eyes at pity's claims. 
And now, wiih mingled grief and ire. 
He saw the murdered maid expire. 
" God, in my need, be my relief, t 
As I wreak this on yonder Chief!" 
A lock from Blanche's tresses fair 
He blended with her bridegroom's hair; 

• MS.— "But now, my champion, --it shall ware.** 
t MS — "God in my need, to me be true, 
A« I wreak this on Ro(* crick Dtiu." 



182 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

The mingled braid in blood he dyed, 

And placed it on his bonnet-side : 

" B'/ Him whose word is truth ! I swear. 

No other favour will I wear, 

Till this sad token I imbrue 

In the best blood of Roderick Dhu ! 

—But hark ! what means that faint halloo ! 

The chase is up, — but they shall know, 

The stag at bay 's a dangerous foe.'' 

Barr'd from the known but guarded way, 

Through copse and clifTs Fiiz- James must stray, 

And oft must change his desperate track, 

By stream and precipice turn'dback. 

Heartless, fatigued, and faint, at length, 

From lack of food and loss of strength, 

He couch'd him in a thicket hoar, 

And thought his toils and perils o'er : 

" Of all my rash adventures past, 

This frantic feat must prove the last ! 

Who e'er so mad but might have guess'd, 

That all this Highland hornnt's nest 

"Would muster up in swarms, so soon 

As e'er they heard of bands at Doune? — 

Like bloodhounds now they search me out,— 

Hark, to the whistle and the shout ! 

If farther through the wilds I go, 

I only fall upon the foe : 

ril couch me here till evening gray, 

Then darkling try my dangerous way." 

XXIX. 

The shades of eve come slowly down, 
The woods are wrapt in deeper brown. 
The owl awakens from her dell, 
The fox is heard upon the fell ; 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 183 

Enough remains of glimmering light 

To guide the wanderer's steps aright, 

Yet not enough from far to show 

His figure to the watchful foe. 

With cautious step, and ear awake, 

He climbs the crag and threads the brake : 

And not the summer's solstice, there, 

Temper'd the midnight mountain air, 

But every breeze that swept the wold, 

Benumb'd his drenched limbs with cold. 

In dread, in danger, and alone, 

Famish 'd and chill'd, through ways unknown, 

Tangled and steep he journey 'd on ; 

Till, as a rock's huge point he turn'd, 

A watch-fire close before him burn'd. 

XXX. 

Beside its efnbers red and clear,* 

Bask'd in his plaid, a mountaineer ; 

And up h'3 fjf-rung with sword in hand, — 

•' Thy nsTAf and purpose ! Saxon, stand !" 

*• A stran/f r " — " What dost thou require?"— 

" Rest, F.mJ \ guide, and food, and fire. 

My life'a to-et, my path is lost, 

The gale U:i chilled my limbs with frost." — 

'•Art thoi J friend to Roderick?" — '' No." 

" Thou c'.?/i()t not call thyself a foe?" 

" I dare ! it, him and all the bandt 

He bri/i/^^s lO aid his murderous hand." 

*' Fold w ;!ds I — but, though the beast of game, 

The pri/i'.ege of chase may claim, 

♦ [MS '-" By tho decaying flame was laid 
A warrior in his tlighland plaid."] 

t (MS.— " I dare ! to him and all the swarm 
He brings to aid his murderoua arm.") 



184 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Though space and law the stag we lend, 

Ere hound we slip, or bow we bend, 

Who ever reck'd, where, how, or when, 

The prowling fox was trapp'd or slain? * 

I'hus treacherous scouts, — yet sure they he, 

Who say thou earnest a secret spy !'' 

" They do, by heaven ! — Come Roderick Dhu, 

And of his clan ihe boldest two, 

And let me but till morning rest, 

I write the falsehood on their crest." 

" If by the blaze 1 mark aright, 

Thou bear'st the belt and spur of Knight.''— 

" Then by these tokens mayst tliou know 

Each proud oppressor's mortal ioe.'''' — 

** Enough, enough : sit down and share 

A soldier's couch, a soldier's fare." 

XXXI. 

He gave him of his Highland cheer. 
The harden'd flesh of mountain deer ; t 

* St. John actually used this illustration when en- 
gaged in confuuiig the plea of law proposed for the 
unfortunate Earl of Strafford: "It was true, we gave 
law to hares and deer, because they are beasts of 
chase: but it was never accounied either cruelty or 
foul play lo knock foxes or wolves on the head as 
they can be found, because they are beasts of prey. 
In a word, the law and humanity were alike; the one 
being more fallacious, and the other more barbarous, 
than in any age had been venied in such an authori- 
ty."-- Clarendon's History of the Rebellion. Oxford, 
1702. fol. vol. p. 183. 

t The Scottish Highlanders, in former times, had 8» 
concise mode of cooking their venison, or rather of 
dispensing with cooking it, which appears greatly to 
hrive surprised the French, whom chance made ac- 
quainted with it. The Vidanie of Charters, when a 
hostage in England, during the leigu of Kdward VI., 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 185 

Dry fuel on the fire he laid, 

And bade the Saxon share his plaid. 

was pennitted to travel into Scotland. and penetrated 
as far as to Ihe remote Highlands (aw ^n /ond de$ 
Sauvages.) Afier a great hunting parly, al which a 
most wonderful quaiiiity of game was destroyed, he 
saw these Scottish savages dt-vour a partofiheir veni- 
son raw, without any further preparation tlian com- 
pressing it between two batons of wood, so as to 
force out the blood, and render it extremely hard. 
This they reckontd a great delicacy ; and when the 
Vidame partook of it. his compliance with their 
taste rendered him exireii.ely popular. This curious 
trait of manners was communicated by Mins. de 
Montmorency, a great friend of the Vidame. to Bran- 
tome, liy whom it is recorded in Vies des Hommes II- 
lustres, Discours \xxx\k. art. 14 'J'he process by 
which the raw venison was rendered eatable is de- 
scribed very minutely jn the romance of Perceforest, 
where Estomie, a Scottish knighl-errant. having 
slain a deer, says to his companion Ciaudiu.*:— "Sire, 
or mangerez vous et niny assui. Voire si nous auiong 
de feu dit Claudius. Par a I'ame de tnon pere. dist 
Estonne, ie vous aiourneray et cuiray a la maniere 
de nostre pays comme pour cheaulier errant. Lors 
tira son espee, et sen vint a la branche dung arbre, 
et y fait vng grant trou. et puis lend la branche bien 
deux piedxTet boute. la cuisse du cerf entredux, et 
puis prent le licul de son cheval. et en lye la 
branche, et destraini si fort, que le -^ang et les hu- 
meurs de la chairsaillent hors. et liemeuie la chair 
doulce et seiche Lors prent la cliair. et oste ius le 
cuir et la chaire demure aussi blanche comme si ce 
feust dung chappon. Dont dist a Claudius. Sire, ie 
la vous ay cuiste a la guise de mon pays, vous en 
pouez manger liardyement car ie manageray premeir. 
Lors met sa main a sa selle en eng lieu qnil y auoit, 
et tire hors sel et poudre de pouire gingembre, mesle 
ensemble le iecte desus,et le frot sus bien fort, puis Ie 
couppea inc^tie, et en dunne a Claudius I'une des 
pieces, et puis niort en I'autre aussi sauoureu^ment 



186 TKE LADY OF THE LAKK. 

He tended him like welcome guest, 
Then thus his further speech address' d. 
" Stranger, I am to Roderick Dhu 
A clansman born, a kinsman true ; 
Each word against his honour spoke, 
Demands of me avenging stroke ; 
Yet more, — upon thy fate 'tis said, 
A mighty augury is laid. 
It rests with me to wind my horn, — 
Thou art wiih numbers overborne ; 
It rests with me, here, brand to brand, 
Worn as thou art, to bid thee stand ; 
But, not for clan, nor kindred's cause, 
Will I depart from honour's laws ; 

quil est aduis que il en feist la pouldre voller. Quant 
Claudius veu quil le mangeiot de tel gonsr, il en print 
grant faun, et commence a manger tresvoulentiers, 
et disl a Estoiine : Parl'ame de nioy, ie ne mangeay 
oncquesmais de chair atournee de telle guise . niais 
duresenauant ie ne me reiouineroy pas hors de moii 
chemin par ;iuior la cuiie. Sire, dist Estonne, quant 
is suis en desers d'Escosse, dnni ie suis seigneur, ie 
chenauclieray huit iours oti quinze que ie n'entreay 
en chastel ne'en niaison,et si ne verray feu ne person- 
xie viuant forsque bestes sauuageset de cellea mange- 
ray atournes en cesle maniere.et mieulx me plara que 
la viaiide de I'empereur. Ainsi sen vont mangeant 
et cheuaucliant iusques adonc quilz arriuerent sur 
line moult belle fontaine qui estoit en vne valee. 
Quani Estonne la vii il dist a Claudius, allons boire 
a ceste fontaine. Or beuuons, dist Estonne, du boire 
que le grant dieu a pourueu a toutes gi ns, et que me 
plaist mieulx que les ceruoises d'Angleterre. "—Z/a 
Tres elegante Hystoire du tres noble Roy Perceforest. 
Paris. 1531. fol. tome i. Iv. vers. 

After all, it may be doubted whether la ehaire not- 
tree, for so the French called the venison thus sum- 
marily prepared, was nothing more than a mere rude 
kind of deer-ham. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 187 

To assail a wearied man were shame, 

And stranger is a holy name ; 

Guidance and rest, and food and fire, 

In vain he never must require. 

Then rest thee here, till dawn of day ; 

Myself will guide thee on the way, 

O'er stock and sione, through watch and ward, 

Till past Clan-Alpine's outmost guard, 

As far as Coilantogle's ford ; 

From thence thy warrant is thy sword. "-- 

" I take thy courtesy, by heaven, 

As freely as 'tis nobly given." — 

" Well, rest thee ; for the bittern's cry 

Sings us the lake's wild lullaby." 

With that he shook the gathered heath, 

And spread his plaid upon the wreath; 

And the brave foemen, side by side, 

Lay peaceful down like brothers tried, 

And slept uniii the dawning beam * 

Purpled the mountain and the stream. 



CANTO FIFTH. 

THE COMBAT. 
I. 

Fath as the earliest beam of eastern light. 
When first, by the bewildered pilgrim spied, 

It smiles upon the dreary brow of night, 
And silvers o'er the torrent's foaming tide, 

And lights the fearful path on mountain side; — t 

♦ (MS.— "And slept until the dawning streak. 
Purpled the mountain and the lake.") 
■t(MS.""And lights the fearful way along its side.") 



188 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Fair as that beam, although the fairest far, 
Giving to horror grace, to danger pride, 
Shine martial Faith, and Courtesy's bright 
star, 
Through all the wreckful storms that cloud the 
brow of War. 

11. 

That early beam, so fair and sheen. 
Was twinkling through the hazel screen, 
When, rousing at its glimmer red. 
The warriors left their lowly bed, 
Look'd out upon the dappled sky, 
Mattered their soldier matins by, 
And then awaked their fire, to steal. 
As short and rude, their soldier meal. 
That o'er, the Gael* around him threw 
His graceful plaid of varied hue, 
And, true to promise, led the way, 
By thicket green, and mountain gray, 
A wildering path ! — they winded now 
Along the precipice's brow, 
Commanding the rich scenes beneath, 
The windings of the Forth and I'eith, 
And all the vales between them lie, 
Till Stirhng's turrets melt in sky; 
Then, sunk in copse, their farthest glance 
Gain'd not the length of horseman's lance. 
'Twas oft so steep, the foot was fain 
Assistance from the hand to gain ; 
So tangled oft, that bursting through, 
Each hawthorn shed her showers of dew,— 

* The Scottish Highlander calls himself Gael, or 
Gaul, and terms the Lowlanders, Sassenach, or Sax« 



THE LADT OF THE LAKE. 189 

That diamond dew, so pure and clear, 
It rivals all but Beauty's tear I 

III. 

At length they came where, stern and steep* 

The hill sinks down upon the deep. 

Here Vennachar in silver flows, 

There, ridge on ridge, Benledi rose ; 

Ever the hollow path twined on, 

Beneath steep bank and threatening stone ; 

A hundred men might hold the post 

With hardihood against a host ; 

The rugged mountain's scanty cloak 

Was dwarfish shrubs of birch and oak,t 

With shingles bare, and clifTs between, 

And patches bright of bracken green, 

And heather black, that waved so high, 

It held the copse in rivalry. 

But where the lake slept deep and still. 

Dank osiers fringed the s<vamp and hill ; 

And oft both path and hill were torn, 

Where wintry torrents down had borne, 

And heaped upon the cumber'd land 

Its wreck of gravel, rocks, and sand. 

So toilsome was the road to trace, 

The guide, abating of his pace, 

Led slowly through the pass's jaws, 

Andask'd Fitz- James, by what strange cause 

He sought these wilds ? traversed by few, 

Without a pass from Roderick Dhu. 

* [MS, — "At length they pac'd the mountain's side, 

And saw beiieaih the waters wide."] 
('fMS.--"The rugged mountain's stunted screen. 
Was dwarfish I ^^'J^p^gg^j with clifis between.") 



190 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

IV. 

"Brave Gael, my pass, in danger tried, 
Hangs in my belt, and by my side ; 
Yet, sootli to tell," the Saxon said, 
" I dreamt not now to claim its aid.* 
When here, but three days since, I came, 
Bewilder'd in pursuit of game. 
All seem'd as peaceful and as still, 
As the mist slumbering on yon hill ; 
Thy dangerous Chief was then afar, 
Nor soon expected back from war. 
Thus said, at least, my mountain-guide, 
Though deep perchance the villain lied."— 
" Yet why a second venture try .?"'— 
" A warrior thou, and ask me why ! — 
Moves our free course by such fix'd cause, 
As gives the poor mechanic laws ? 
Enough, I sought to drive away 
The lazy hours of peaceful day ; 
Slight cause will then suffice to guide 
A Knight's free footsttps far and wide, — t 
A falcon flovvn, a greyhound siray'd. 
The merry glance of mountain maid ; 
Or, if a path be dangerous known. 
The danger's self is lure alone." — 

V. 

*' Thy secret keep, I urge thee not ; — X 
Yet, ere again ye sought this spot, 
Say, heard ye naught of Lowland war, 
Against Clan- Alpine, rais'd by Mar?" 

* (MS.— "I dreamed not now to draw my blade.") 
t (MS.— "My errant footsteps ( 

A knight's bold wanderings J far and wide. ') 

(t MS.— 'Thy secret keep, I ask it not.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 191 

— " No, by my word ;---of bands prepared 
To guard King James's sports I heard; 
Nor doubt I aught but vvhen they hear 
This muster of the mountaineer, 
Their pennons will abroad be flung. 
Which else in Doune had peaceful hung." — * 
" Free be they flung I for we were loaih 
Their silken folds should feast the moth. 
Free be they flung ! — as free shall wave 
Clan-Alpine's pine in banner brave. 
But, Stranger, peaceful since you came, 
Bewilderd in the mountain game. 
Whence the bold boast by which you show 
Vich-Alpine's vowed and mortal foe ?"'— 
*' Warrior, but yester-morn, I knew 
Naught of thy Chieftain, Roderick Dhu, 
Save as an outlawed desperate man, 
The chief of a rebellious clan, 
Who, in the Regent's court and sight, 
"With ruffian dagger stabb'd a knight: 
Yet this alone might from his part 
Sever each true and loyal heart." 

VI. 

Wrothful at sucb arraignment foul, 
Dark lower'd the clansman's sable scowl. 
A space he paused, then sternly said, 
" And heard'st thou why he drew his blade ? 
Heard'st thou that shameful word and blow 
Brought Roderick's vengeance on his foe ? 
What reck'd the Chieftain if he stood 
On Highland heath, or Holy-Rood? 
He rights such wrong where it is given, 
If it were in the court of heaven. ' ' — 

• [MS — "Which else in hall had peaceful hung.'»3 



105 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

•' Still was it outrage ; — yet, 'tis true, 
Not then claitn'd sovereignty his due; 
While Albany, with feeble hand, 
Held borrow'd truncheon of command, 
The young King, mew'd in Stirling tower, 
Was stranger to respect and power.* 
But then, thy Chieftain's robber life I— 
Winning mean prey by causeless strife, 
Wrenching from ruin'd Lowland swain 
His herds and harvest reared in vain. 
Meihinks a soul, like thine, should scorn .; 
The spoils from such foul foray borne." __^Jtf^ 

* There is scarcely a more disorderly period in 
Scottish history than that which succeeded the bat- 
tle of Floddcn. and occupied the minority of Jamea 
V. Feuds of ancient standing broke out like old 
wounds, and every quarrel among the independent 
nobility, which occurred daily and almost hourly, 
p:ive rise to fresh bloodshed. "There arose," said 
Piiscottie, "great troul)ie and deadly feuds in many 
parts of Sfotland, both in the north and west parte. 
The Master of Forbes, in the north, slew the Lakd 
of Meldrmn under tryst :" i. e. al an agretd and se- 
cure meetina-: '• Likewise the Laird of Drummelzier 
slew the Lord Fleming at the hawking ; and likewise 
there was slaughter among many great lords," p. 121 
Nor was the matter much mended under the govern- 
ment of the Earl of Angus : for though he causec' Vie 
Knig to ride through all Scotland, "under the pre- 
tence and colour of justice, to punisli thief and trai- 
tor, none were found greater than were in their own 
company. And none at that lime durst strive with 
a Douglas, nor yet a Douglas's man ; for if they 
would they got the worst. Therefore, none durst 
plainzie of no extortion, theft, reiff, nor slaughter, 
done to them by the Douglasses, or their men; in 
that cause they were not heard, so long as the Doug* 
las had tJie court in guidiJtig."— //>»d. p. 133. 



THE LAD7 OF THE LAKE. 193 

VII. 

The Gael beheld him grim the while, 
And answered with disdainful smile, 
" Saxon, from yonder mountain high, 
I mark'd thee send delighted eye, 
Far to the south and east, where lay, 
Extended in succession gay, 
Deep waving fields and pastures green, 
With gentle slopes and groves between ;— 
These fertile plains, that soften'd vale, 
Were once the birthright of the Gael ; 
The stranger came with iron hand, 
And from our fathers reft the land. 
Where dwell we now ! See, rudely swell 
Crag over crag, and fell o'er fell. 
Ask we this savage hill we tread, 
For fattened steer or household bread ; 
Ask we for flocks these shingles dry, 
And well the mountain might reply, — 
' To you. as to your sires of yore, 
Belong the target and claymore ! 
I give you shelter in my breast. 
Your own good blades must win the rest.* 
Pent in this fortress of the North, 
Think'st thou we will not sally forth, 
To spoil the spoiler as we may, 
And from the robber rend the prey ? 
Ay, by my soul ! While on yon plain 
The Saxon rears one shock of grain ; 
While, often thousand herds, there strays 
But one along yon river's maze. 
The Gael, of plain and river heir, 
Shall with strong hand, redeem his share. 
Where live the mountain Chiefs who hold, 
That plundering Lowland field and fold 
13 R 



194 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Is aught but retribution true ? 

Seek other cause 'gainst Roderick Dhu."* 

* The ancient Highlanders verified ia their practice 
the lines of Gray :— 

"An iron race the mountain cliffs maintain^ 
Foes to the gentler genius of the plain ; 
For where unwearied sinews must be found, 
With side-long plough to quell the flinty ground; 
To lurn the torrent's swift descending flood; 
To tame the savage rushing from ihe wood ; 
What wonder if to patient valour train'd, 
They guard wiih spirit what by strength they 

gained ; 
And while their rocky ramparts round they see 
Tiie rough abode of want and liberty, 
(As lawless force from confidence will grow,) 
Insult the plenty of the vales belowl" 
Fragment on the Alliance of Education and Gov 
ernvtent. 

So far, indeed, was a Creatrh, or foray, from being 
held disgraceful, that a young chief was always ex- 
pected to show his talents for command so soon as he 
assumed it, by leading his clan on a successful enter- 
prise of this nature, eiiher against a neighbouring 
sept, for which coi slant feuds usually furnished an 
apology, or ajiainst the Sassenack, Saxons, or Low- 
landers, for which no apology was necessiry. The 
Gael, ereat traditional historians, never forgot that 
the Lowlands had, at some remote period, been ihe 
property of their Celtic forefathers, which furnished 
an ample vindication of all the ravagf^s that they 
could make on the unfortunate districts which lay 
within their reach. Sir James Grant of Grant is in 
possession of a letter of apology from Cameron of 
Lochiel, whose men had committed some depreda- 
tion upon a farm called Moines, occupied by one of 
the Grants. Lochiel assures (irant, that, however 
the. mistake liad happened, his instructions were pre- 
cise, that the party should foray the province of Mo- 
ray.ia Lowland district,) where as he coolly observes, 
•'all men take their prey." 



THE LADY OF THK LAKE. 195 



VIII. 

Answer'd Fitz-James, — " And, if I sought. 

Think' St thou no other could be brought ? 

What deem ye of my path waylaid ? 

My life given o'er to ambuscade?" — 

'* As of a meed to rashness due ; 

Hadst thou sent warning fair and true,— 

I seek my hound, or falcon stray'd, 

I seek, good faith, a Highland maid,— 

Free hadst thou been to come and go ; 

But secret path marks secret foe. 

Nor yet. for this, even as a spy, 

Had'st thou, unheard, been doomed to die, 

Save to fulfil an augury." 

" Well, let it pass ; nor will I now 

Fresh cause of enmity avow, 

To chafe thy mood and cloud thy brow,. 

Enough, I am by promise tied 

To match me with this man of pride : 

Twice have I sought Clan- Alpine's glen 

In peace ; but when I come agen, 

I come with banner, brand, and bow. 

As leader seeks his mortal foe. 

For love-lorn swain, in lady's bower. 

Ne'er panted for the appointed hour, 

As I, until before me stand 

This rebel Chieftain and his band !"* 

IX. 

" Have, then, thy wish!"— he whistled shrill. 
And he was answer'd from the hill ; 

•£MS.— "This dark Sir Roderick I anihisbandJ 
This savage chieftain ) 



1?6 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Wild as the scream of the curlew, 
From crag to crag the signal flew,* 
Instant, through copse and heath, arose 
Bonnets and spears and bended bows : 
On right, on left, above, below. 
Sprung up at once the lurking foe ; 
From shingles gray their lances start, 
The bracken bush sends forth the dart,t 
The rushes and the willow-wand 
Are bristling into axe and brand, 
And every tuft of broom gives lifet 
To plaided warrior arm'd for strife. 
That whistle garrison'd the glen 
At once with full five hundred men, 
As if the yawning hill to heaven 
A subterranean host had given. ^ 

* [MS.— ''From copse to copse tho signal flew; 

Instant through copse and crags arose."] 
f [MS.— '-The bracken bush shoots forth the dart."! 
:j:lMS.— " And each lone tuft of broom gives life 
To plaided warrior armed for strife, 
That whistle manned the lonely glen 
With full five hundred armed men."] 
$[The Monthly reviewer says:-- "We now come to 
the chef i'auvre of Walter Scott, a scene of more vig- 
our, nature, and animation, than any other in all hia 
poetry." Another anonymous critic of the poem is 
not afraid to quote, with reference to the eflect of thia 
passage,the sublime language of the Prophet Ezekiel: 
— "Then said he unto me. Prophesy unto the wind, 
prophesy, son of man, and say unto the wind. Thus 
saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O 
breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they ma) 
live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the 
breath came into them, and they lived, and stood 
up upon their feet, an exceeding great army."— Chap, 
xxxvii, V. 9, 10. 



THK LADY OF THE LAKE. 197 

Watching their leader's beck and will,* 

All silent there they stood, and still, 

Like the loose crags whose threatening mass 

Lay tottering o'er the hollow pass, 

As if an infant's touch could urge 

Their headlong passage down the verge. 

With step and weapon forward flung, 

Upon the mountain-side they hung. 

The Mountaineer cast glance of pride 

Along Benledi's living side.— 

Then fix'd his eye and sable brow 

Full on Fitz-James— " How say'st thou now ? 

These are Clan- Alpine's warriors true ; 

And, Saxon,— I am Roderick Dhu !" 



Fitz- James was brave : Though to his heart 

The life-blood thrill'd with sudden start, 

He mann'd himself with dauntless air, 

Return'd the Chief his haughty stare. 

His back against a rock he bore, 

And firmly placed his foot before ; 

" Come one, come all ! this rock shall fly 

From its firm base as soon as I.'' 

Sir Roderick mark'd— and in his eyes 

Respect was mingled with surprise. 

And the stern joy which warriors feel 

Tn foemen worthy of their steel. 

Short space he stood— then waved his hand: 

Down sunk the disappearing band ; 

♦ [iMS. — 'All silent, too, they stood, and still, 
Watching their leader's beck and will, 
While forward step and weapon show 
They long to rush upon the foe. 
Like the loose cragn, whose tottering mass 
liung threatening o'er the hollow pass."] 



198 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Each warrior vanish'd where he stood, 
In broom or bracken, heath or wood ; 
Sunk brand and spear and bended bow, 
In osiers pale and copses low ; 
It seem'd as if their mother Earth 
Had swallow'd up her warlike birth. 
The wind's last breath had toss'd in air. 
Pennon, and plaid, and plumage fair, 
The next but swept a lone hill-side, 
Where heath and fern were waving wide ! 
The sun's last glance was glinted back. 
From s|>ear and glaive, from targe and jack, 
The next, all unreflected, shone 
On bracken green, and cold gray stone. 

XI. 

Fitz- James look'd round— yet scarce believed 
The witness that his sight received ; 
Such apparition well might seem 
Delusion of a dreadful dream. 
Sir Roderick in suspense he eyed. 
And to his look the Chief replied, 
" Fear naught— nay, that I need not say- 
But— doubt not auglit from mine array. 
Thou art my guest ;— I pledged my word 
As far as Coilantogle ford : 
Nor would I call a clansman's brand 
For aid against one valiant hand,* 
Though on our strife lay every vale 
Rent by the Saxon from the Gael.t 

* [MS.— "For aid against one brave man*s hand."] 
t( -This scene is excellently described. The frank- 
ness and high-souled courage of the two warriors,— 
the reliance which the Lowlander places on the 
word of the Highlander lo guide him safely on his 
way the uext morning, although be baa spoken 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 199 

So move we on ;— 1 only meant 
To show the reed on which you ieant, 
Deeming this path you might pursue 
Without a pass from Roderick Dhu."* 

threatening and violent words against Roderick, 
whose kinsman the mountaint er professed to be — 
these circumstances are all admirably imagined and 
te\Ated.")— Monthly Review. 

* This incident, like some other passages in the 
poem, illu>trative of the character of the ancient 
Gael, is not imaginary, but borrowed from fact. The 
Highlanders, wiih the inconsistency of most of na- 
tions in the same state, were aiternately capable of 
great exertions of jienerosiiy, and of cruel revenge 
and perfidy. The following story I can only quote 
from tradition, hut with such an assurance from those 
by whom it was communicated, as permits me little 
doubt of its aulticnticity. Early in the last century, 
John Gunii. a noted Cateran. or Higliland rohber, in- 
fested Itiverness-shire. and levied black-mail up to 
the walls of the provincial capital. A garrison was 
then maintained in the castle of that town, and their 
pay (country banks being unknown) was usually 
transmitted in specie, under the guard of a small 
escort. It chanced that the officer who commanded 
this little party was unexpectedly obliged to halt 
about thirty miles from Inverness, at a miserable inn. 
About nightfall, a stranger in the Highland dress, 
and of very prepossessing appearance. entered the 
same house. Separate accommodation being impossi- 
ble the Englishman offeied the newly arrived guest a 
part of his stipper, which was aecepted with reluct- 
ance. By the conversation he found his nrw acquain- 
tance knew well all the passes of the country, which 
induced him eagerly to requ'-st h;s company on the 
ensuing morning. He neither disguised his business 
and charge, nor his apprehensions of that celebrated 
freebooter, John Gunn. The Highlander hesitated a 
moment, and then frankly consented to be his guide. 
Forth they set in the morning; and, in travelling 
tbrough a solitary and dreary glen, the discourse 



200 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

They moved: — I said Fitz- James was brave, 
As ever knight that belled glaive ; 
Yet dare not say, that now his blood, 
Kept on its woni and temper'd flood, 
As, following Roderick's stride he drew, 
That seeming lonesome pathway through, 
Which yet, by fearful proof, was rife 
With lances, that to take his life, 
Waited but signal from a guide, 
So late dishonour'd and defied. 
Ever, by stealth, his eye sought round 
The vanish'd guardians of the ground, 
And still from copse and heather deep, 
Fancy saw spear and broadsword peep,* 
And in the plovers shrilly strain, 
The signal whistle heard again. 
Nor breathed he free till far behind 
The pass was left ; for then they wind 

again turned on John Gunn. "Would you like t« 
see hirnl" said the guide: and, without waiting au 
answer to this alarming question, he whistled and 
the English officer, with his small party, were sur- 
rounded l)y a liody of Highlanders, whose miniber* 
put resistance out of question, and who were all well 
armed. -'Stranger," resumed the guide, "lam that 
very John Gunn. by whom you feared to he inter- 
cepted, and not without cause ; for I came to the inn 
last niglit, with the express purpose of learning youi 
route, that I and my followers might ease you of youi 
charge by the road. But 1 am incapable of betraying 
the trust you reposed in me, and having convinced you 
that you are in my power, I can only dismiss you un» 
plundered and uninjured." He then gave the officer 
directions for iiis journey, and disappeared with hit 
party, as suddenly as they had presented them- 
selves. 

*[MS.— " And still, from copse and heather bush, 
Fancy saw spear and broadsword rush."] 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 201 

Along a wide and level green, 
Where neither tree nor tufi was seen; 
Nor rush nor bush of broom was near, 
To hide a bonnet or a spear. 

XII. 

The Chief in silence strode before, 

And reach'd that torrent's sounding shore, 

Which, daughter of three mighty lakes, 

From Vennachar in silver breaks, 

Sweeps through the plain, and ceaseless mines, 

On Bochastle the mouldering lines,* 

Where Rome, the empress of the world, 

Of yore her eagle wings unfurled.t 

* (MS.— 'On Bochastle the martial lines.") 
\ The torrent which discharges itself from Loch 
Vennachar, ihe lowest and eastmnst of the three 
lakes which form the scenery adjoining the Trosachs, 
sweeps through a flat and extensive moor, called Bo- 
chastle. Upon a small eminence, called the Dun of 
Bochastle, and indeed upon the plain itself, are some 
Intrenchmenis, which have been thoujiht Roman. 
There is adjacent to Callender, a sweet villa, the 
residence of Captain Fairfoul, entitled the Roman 
Camp. 

('•One of the most entire and beautiful remains of 
Roman encampment now to be found in Scotland, is 
to be seen at Ardoch, near Greenloaming, about six 
miles to ihe eastward of Dunblane. This encamp- 
ment is supposed, on good grounds, to have been 
constructed during the fourth campaign of Agricola 
in Britain ; it is 1060 feet in length, and 900 in 
breadth; it could contain 26.000 men, according to 
the ordinary distribution of the Roman soldiers in 
their encampments. There appears to have been 
three or four ditches, strongly fortified, surround- 
ing the camp. The four entries crossing the lines are 
still to be seen distinctly. The general's quarter risea 
above the level of the camp, but is not exactly in 



202 THE LADY OF THE LAKR. 

And here his course the Chieftain staid, 
Threw down his target and his plaid, 
And to the Lowland warrior said : — 
" Bold Saxon I to his promise just, 
Vich-Alpine has discharged his trust. 
This murderous Chief, this ruthless man, 
This head of a rebellious clan, 
Hath led thee safe, through watch and ward 
Far past Clan-Alpine's outmost guard. 
Now, man to man, and steel to steel, 
A Chieftain's vengeance thou shalt feel. 
See, here, all vantageless I stand, 
Arm'd hke thyself, with single brand:* 

the centre. It is a regular square of twenty yards, 
enclosed with a stone wall, and containing the foun- 
dations of a house, 80 feet by 20, There is a subter- 
raneous communication, with a smaller encampment 
at a little distance, in which several Roman helmets, 
spears, &c , have been found. From this camp at 
Ardoch, the great Roman highway runs east to Ber- 
tha, about 14 miles distant, where the Roman army 
is believed to have passed over the Tay into Strath- 
more." -Gkaham. 

* The duelists of former times did not always 
stand upon those punctilios respecting equality of 
arms, which are now judged essential to fair combat. 
It is true, that in former combats in the lists, the par- 
ties were, by the judges of the field, put as nearly as 
possible in the same circumstances. But iu private 
duel it was often otherwise. In that desperate com- 
bat which was fought between Quelus, a minion of 
Henry III. of France, and Antraguet, with two sec- 
onds on each side, from which only two persons esca- 
ped alive, Quelus complained that his antagonist had 
over him the advantage of a poniard, which he used 
in parrying, while his left hand, which he was forced 
to employ for the same purpose was cruelly mangled. 
When he charged Antraguet with this odds, "Thou 
bast done wrong, answered he, " to forget thy dag* 



THU LADT or THE LAKE. 203 

For this is Coilantogle ford 

And ihou must keep thee with thy sword.'' 

ger at home. We are here to fight, and not to settle 
punctilios of arms." In a similar duel, however, a 
young^r brother of the house of Aubayne, in AngoU' 
lesme, behaved more generously on the like occasion, 
and at once threw away his dagger, wrheii his enemy 
challenged it as an undue advantage. But at this time 
hardiy an) thing can tie conceived more horridly brutal 
and savage than the mode in which private quarrels 
were conducted in France. Those who were most 
jealous of the point of honor, and acquired the title 
of Ruffines, did not scruple to take every advantage 
of strength, numbers, surprise, and arms, to accom- 
plish their revenge. The Sieur de Brantome, to 
whose discourse on duels I am obliged for these par- 
ticulars, gives the following account of the death and 
principles of his friend, the Baron Vitaux : 

" J'ay oui conter a un Tireur d'armes, qui apprit & 
Millaud a en tirer.iequel s'appelloit Seigneur le Jac- 
ques Ferron. de la ville d'Ast, qui avoit e8t6 a moy, il 
ful despui« lue a Saincte- Bassille en Gascogne- lora 
que Monsieur du Mayne I'assi^gtia, lui servant d'ln- 
gcnieur; et de malheur, je I'avois address^ audit 
Baron quelquestrois mois auparavant, pour I'exer- 
cer a tirer, bien qu'il en sceust prou; mais il n'en 
fit compte : et le laissant Millaud s'en servit, et le ren- 
dit fort adroit. Ce Seigneur Jacques done me racon- 
ta, qu'il s'estoit monte sur un noyer. assez loing, 
pour en voir le combat, et qu'il ne vist jamais homme 
y aller plus bravement.ny plus resolument.ny de grace 
plus asseuree ny determinee. II commenca da 
marcher de cinqnante pas vers son ennemy, relevant 
Bouvent ses moustaches en haul d'une main ; etes- 
tant a vingt pas de son ennemy. (non plustost,> 
qu'il mit la main a I'espee qu'il tenoit en la main, non 
qu'il I'eust tiree encore; mais en marchant,il fit voller 
le fourreau en I'air, en le ?ecouant, ce qui est le 
beau de rela, et qui monstroit bien une grace de 
combat bien asseuree et froide, et nullement tem-> 
erarie, cotume il y en a qui Urent ieurs espees de C1114 



204 THE LADY OF THE LAKE, 

XIII. 
The Saxon paused :— " I ne'er delay'd, 
When foeman bade me draw my blade ; 
Nay more, brave chief, 1 vow'd thy death: 
Yet sure thy fair and generous faith, 
And my deep debt for life preserved, 
A better meed have well deserved : 
Can naught but blood our feud atone ? 
Are there no means?"-—" No, stranger, none ! 
And hear---to fire thy flagging zeal,--- 
The Saxon cause rests on thy steel ; 
For thus spoke Fate, by prophet bred 
Between the living and the dead ; 

cents pas de I'ennemy, voire de mille, comme j'en 
ay veu aucuns. Ainsi mourut ce brave Baron, ie 
paragon de France, qu'on nominoit tel, a bien ven- 
ger ses querelles, par grandes et determinees reso- 
lutions. II n'estoit pas aeulement estime en France, 
mais en Italic, Espaigne, Alleniaigne, en Boulogne et 
Angleterre ; et desiroient ton les Estraiigers, veiiant 
en France, ie voir; car je I'ay veu, tant sa renom- 
inee volloit. II estoit fort petit de corps, mais fort 
grand de courage. Sea ennemis disoient qu'il ne 
tuoil pas bien ses gens, que par advantages et su- 
percheries. Certes, je liens de grandes capitaines, 
et mesnie d'llaliens, qui ont estez d'autres foia les 
premiers vengeurs du monde, in offni modo, di- 
soient-ils, qui ont tenu cetie niavinie, qu'iin, su- 
percherie ne se devoil payer que parseinblable mon- 
noye, et n'y alloit point lade deshonneur."-- Oewwre* 
de Brantome, Paris, 1787— b. Tome viii, p. 90-92. It 
may be necessary to inform the reader,that this para- 
gon of France was the most foul assassin of his time, 
and had committed many desperate murders, chiefly 
by the assistance of his hired banditti ; from which 
it may be conceived how little the point of honour 
of the period deserved its name. I have chosen to 
give my heroes, who '^re indeed of an earlier period, 
ft stronger tincture of the spirit of chivalry. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 205 

' Who spills the foremost foeman's life, 
His party conquers in the strife.' " 
■' Then, by my word," the Saxon said, 
" The riddle is already read. 
Seek yonder brake beneath the cliff,--- 
There lies Red Murdoch, stark, and stiff. 
Thus fate has solved her prophecy, 
Then yield to Fate, and not to me. 
To James, at Stirling, let us go, 
"When, if thou wilt be still his foe. 
Or if the King shall not agree 
To grant thee grace and favour free, 
I plight mine honour, oath, and word, 
That, to thy native strength restored, 
With each advantage shalt thou stand, 
That aids thee now to guard thy land.'' 

XIV. 

Dark lightnings flash' d from Roderick's eye* 

" Soars thy presumption, then, so high, 

Because a wretched kern ye slew. 

Homage to name to Roderick Dhu ? 

He yields not, he, to man nor fate !t 

Thou add'st but fuel to my hate : 

My clansman's blood demands revenge. 

Not yet prepared? — By heaven; I change 

My thought, and hold thy valour light 

As that of some vain carpet knight, 

Who ill deserved my courteous care, 

And whose best boast is but to wear 

A braid of his fair lady's hair.'' — 

— " I thank thee, Roderick, for the word ! 

It nerves my heart, it steels my sword ; 

♦(MS.— "In lightning flash'd the Chief's dark eye.") 
t (MS.--"He stoops not, he, to James nor Fate.") 



SOS THE LADY OP THE LAKE. 

For I have sworn this braid to stain 
In the best blood that warms thy vein. 
Now, truce, farewell ! and, ruth, begone! 
Yet think not that by thee alone, 
Proud Chief I can courtesy be shown; 
Though not from copse, or heaih, or cairn, 
Start at my whistle clansmen stern, 
Of this small horn one feeble blast 
Would fearful odds against thee cast. 
But fear not — doubt not — which thou wilt--- 
We try this quarrel hilt to hilt." 
Then each at once his falchion drew. 
Each on the ground his scabbard threw, 
Each look'd to sun, and stream, and plain, 
As what they ne'er might see again ; 
Then foot, and point, and eye opposed, 
In dubious strife they darkly closed.* 

XV. 

Ill fared it then with Roderick Dhu, 
That on the field his targe he threw, t 

* ['The two principal figures are contrasted with 
uncommon feiicily Fiiz- James, who more nearly re- 
sembles the French Henry the Fourth than ttie Scot- 
tish James V., is gay, amorous, ficiile, intrepid, 
intpemous, affectionate, courteous, graceful, and 
dignifietl. Roderick is gloomy, vindictive, arrogant, 
undaunted, but constant in his affections, and true to 
his engagements ; and the whole passage in which 
these personages are placed in opposition, from their 
first meeting to their final conflict, is conceived and 
written down with a sublimity which has been rare- 
ly equalled."— Quar. Rev-, 1810.] 

t A round tar^iet of light wood, covered with 
Btrong leather, and studded with bras- or iron, was 
a necessary part of a Highlander's equipment. In 
charging regular troops they received the thrust of 
the bayonet in this buckler, twisted it aside, and used 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 207 

Whose brazen studs and toug:h bull-hide 
Had death so often dash'd aside ; 
For, trained abroad his arms to wieid, 
Fitz-James's blade was sword and shield.* 

the broadsword against the encumbered soldier. In 
the civil war of 1745, most of the front ranks of the 
clans were thus armed ; and Captain Grose informs 
us, that, ill 1747, the privates of the 42d regiment, 
then in Flanders, were for ihe most part permitted to 
carry largeAs. --Jililitary Antiquities, vol i. p. 164. A 
person thus armed had a considerable advantage in 
a private fray. Among verses between Swift and 
Sheridan, lately published by Dr. Barret, there is an 
accouni of such an encounter, m which the circum- 
Btances, and consequently the relative superiority 
of the combatants, are precisely the reverse of those 
in the text :-- 
"A Highlander once fought a Frenchman at Mar- 
gate, 
The weapons, a rapier, a backsword and target, 
Brisk Monsieur advanced as fast as he could, 
But all his fine pushes were caught in the wood, 
And Sawny, with backsword, did slash him and 

nick him, 
While 'lother, enraged that he could not once prick 

him. 
Cried, ' Sirrah, you rascal, you son of a whore, 
Me will fight you, begar! if you'll come from your 

door.' " 
* The use of defensive armour, and particularly of 
the buckler, or target, was general in Queen Efiza- 
heth's lime, although that of the single rapier seems 
to have been occasionally practised much earlier-t 
Rowland Yorke. however, who betrayed the fori of 
Ziitphen to the Spaniards, for which good service he 
was afierwarcis poisoned by them, is said to have 
been tht^ first who brought the rapier-fight into gene- 
ral use. Fuller, speaking of the swash-bucklers, or 
bullies of Queen Elizabeth's time, says : " West 
Smithfield was formerly called Ruffian's Hall, where 
t See Douce's Illustrations of Shakspeare, vol. ii, p. 61. 



208 THE LADY OF THE L4KE. 

He practised every pass and ward, 
To thrust, to strike, to feint, to guard ; 
While less expert, though stronger far, 
The Gael maintain'd unequal war.* 
Three times in closing strife they stood, 
And thrice the Saxon blade drank, blood ; 

such men usually met, casually or otherwise, to 
try mas'eries with sword and buckler. More were 
frightened than hurt, more hurt than killed there- 
with, it being accounted unmanly to strike beneath 
the knee. But since that desperate traitor Rowland 
Yorke tirst introduced thrusting with rapiers, sword 
and buckler are disused." In " The Two Angry 
Women of Abingdon," a comedy, printed in 1599, 
we have a pathetic complaint : " Sword and buckler 
fight begins to grow out of use I am sorry for it ; I 
shall never eee good manhood again. If it be once 
]gone,this poking fight of rapier and dagger will come 
up ; and then a tall man and a good sword and buck- 
ler man, will be spitted like a cat or rabbit." But 
the rapier had upon the continent long superseded, in 
private duel.lhe use of sword and shield. The masters 
of the noiile science were chiefly Italians. They 
made great mystery of their art and mode of instruc- 
tion, never suffered any person to be present but the 
Biholar who was to be taught, and even examined 
closets, beds, and other places of possible conceal- 
ment. Their lessons often gave the most treacher- 
ous advantages ; for the challenger, having the right 
to choose his weapons, trequently selected some 
strange, unusual, and inconvenient kind of arms, the 
use of which he practised under these instructers, 
and thus killed at his ease his antagonist, to whom 
it was presented for the lirst time on the field of bat- 
tle. See Brantome's Discourse on Duels, and the 
work on the same subject, ''si t^entement ecrit." by 
the venerable Dr. Paris de Puteo. The Highlanders 
continued to use broadsword and target until dis- 
armed after the affair of 1745—6. 
• [MS — " Not Roderick thus, though stronger far. 
More tall and more inured to war."J 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE, 209 

No stinted draught, tio scanty tide, 
The gushing flood the tartans dyed, 
Fierce Roderick felt the fatal drain, 
And shower'd his blows like wintry rain; 
And, as firm rock, or castle-roof, 
Against the winter shower is proof, 
The foe, invulnerable still, 
FoiPd his wild rage by steady skill ; 
Till, at advantage ta'en, his brand 
Forced Roderick's weapon from his hand, 
And backward borne upon the lea, 
Brought the proud Chieftain to his knee.* 

XVI. 

" Now, yield thee, or by Him who made 
The world, thy heart's blood dyes my blade !'* 
" Thy threats, thy mercy I defy ! 
Let recreant yield who fears to die."t 

* [This couplet is not in the MS.] 

tl have not ventured to render this duel so savage- 
ly desperate as that of the celebrated Sir Ewan of 
Lochiel, chief of the clan Cameron, called from his 
eahle complexion, Ewan Dhu. He was the last man 
in Scotland who maintained the royal cause during 
the great Civil War, and his constant incursiona 
rendered him a very unpleasant neighbour to the 
republican garrison at Inverlochy, now Fort Wil- 
liam. The gnvernor of the fort detached a party of 
three hundred men to lay waste Locliiel's posses- 
Bions, and cut down hi? trees ; but in a sudden and 
desperate attack made upon them by the chieftain 
with very inferior numbers, they were almost all cut 
to pieces. The skirmish is detailed in a curious me- 
moir of Sir Ewan's life, printed in the appendix of 
Pennant's Scottish Tour. 

"In this engagement, Lochiel himself had sever- 
al wonderful escapes. In the retreat of the English, 
one of the strongest and bravest of the officers 
14 S 



210 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

— Like adder darting from his coil, 
Like wolf that dashes through the toil, 
Like mountain-cat who guards her young. 
Full at Fitz- James's throat he sprung ;* 
Receiv'd, but reck'd not of a wound, 
And lock'd his arms his foeman round.— 
Now, gallant Saxon, hold thine own ! 
No maiden's hand is round thee thrown ! 
That desperate grasp thy frame might feel, 
Through bars of brass and triple steel I 
They tug, they strain, down, down they go, 
The Gael above, Fitz-James below. 
The Chieftain's gripe his throat compressed, 
His knee was planted in his breast : 
His clotted locks he backward threw. 
Across his brow his hand he drew, 

retired behind a bush, when he observed Lochiel 
pursuhig, and seeing him unaccompanied with any, 
he leapt out, and thought hin> his prey. They met 
one another with equal fury. The comliat was long 
and doubtful : the English geiiileman had by far the 
advantage in strength and size ; but Lochiel, exceed- 
ing him in nimbleness and agility, in the end tript 
the sword out of his hand : they closed and wrestled 
till both fell to the ground in each other's arms. The 
English officer got above Lochiel, and pressed hin» 
hard, but stretching forth his neck; by attempting to 
disengage himst'lf. Lochiel, who by this time had his 
bands at liberty, with his left hand seized him by 
the collar, and Jumping at his extended thioat, he 
bit it with his teeth quite through, and kept such a 
hold of his grasp, that he brought away his mouth- 
ful : this, he said, was the sweetest bit he ever had in 
hislifetivie."-\o\.\.p.375. 

♦ [MS. — " 'Yield they alone who fear to die.' 

Like mountain cat who guards her young 
Full at Fiiz-Jaines's throat he sprung."] 



thb: lady of the lak«. 311 

From blood and mist to clear his sight, 
Then gleamed aloft his dagger bright!— 
— But hate and fury ill supplied 
The stream of life's exhausted tide. 
And all too late the advantage came, 
To turn the odds of deadly game ; 
Por, while the dagger gleamed on high, 
ReePd soul and sense, reePd brain and eye, 
Down came the blow ! but in the heath 
The erring blade found bloodless sheath. 
The struggling foe may now unclasp 
The fainting Chief's relaxing grasp; 
Unwounded from the dreadful close, 
But breathless all, Fitz- James arose-* 

XVII. 
He falter'd thanks to Heaven for life, 
Redeem'd, unhoped, from desperate strife ;t 
Next on his foe his look he cast, 
Whose every gasp appear'd his last ; 
In Roderick's gore he dipp'd the braid, — 
" Poor Blanche! thy wrongs are dearly paid: 
Yet with thy foe must die, or live, 
The praise that Faith and Valour give." 
With that he blew a busle-note, 
Undid ihe collar from his throat, 
Unbonneted, and by the wave 
Sate down, his brow and hands to lave. 
Then faint afar are heard the feett 
Of rushing steeds in gallop fleet ; 

* (MS. — " Panting and breathless on the sands, 
Botall unwounded, now he stands."] 

f [MS.--'' Redeem'd, unhoped, from deadly strifo: 
Next on liis foe his look he < threw 

Whose every breath appear'd his last."] 

X (MS.— ".Faint and afar are heard the feet.") 



•212 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

The sounds increase, and now are seen 
Four mounted squires in Lincoln green ; 
Two who bear lance, and two who lead, 
By loosen'd rein, a saddled steed ; 
Each onward held his headlong course, 
And by Fitz-James rein'd up his horse, — 
With wonder view'd the bloody spot — 

" Exclaim not, gallants ! question not.— 
You, Herbert and Luffness, alight, 
And bind the wounds of yonder knight ; 
Let the gray palfrey bear his weight, 
We destined for a fairer freight, 
And bring him on to Stirling straight ; 
I will before at better speed, 
To seek fresh horse and fitting weed. 
The sun rides high ; — I must be boune, 
To see the archer-game at noon ; 
But lightly Bayard clears the lea. — 
De Vaux and Herries, follow me. 

XVIIL 

" Stand, Bayard, stand !"— the steed obey'd, 

With arching neck and bended head, 

And glancing eye and quivering ear, 

As if he loved his lord to hear. 

No foot Fitz-James in stirrup staid. 

No grasp upon the saddle laid, 

But wreath'd his left hand in the mane, 

And lightly bounded from the plain, 

Turn'd on the horse his armed heel. 

And stirr'd his courage with the steel. 

Bounded the fiery steed in air, 

The rider sate erect and fair, 

Then like a bolt from steel crossbow 

Forth launch'd, along the plain they go, 



THK LADY OF THE LAKE. 213 

They dash'd that rapid torrent through, 
And up Carhonie's hill they flew. 
Still at the gallop prick'd the Knight, 
His merry-men follow'd as they might. 
Along thy banks, swift Teith ! they ride, 
And in the race they mock thy tide ; 
Torry and Lendrick now are past, 
And Deansiown lies behind them cast ; 
They rise, the banner'd towers of Doune,* 
They sink in distant woodland soon ; 
Blair-Drummond sees the hoofs strike fire.t 
They sweep like breeze through Ochtertyre ; 
They mark just glance and disappear 
The lofty brow ot ancient Kier ; 
They bathe their coursers' sweltering sides, 
Dark Forth! amid thy sluggish tides, 
And on the opposing shore take ground, 
With plash, with scramble, and with bound. 
Right-hand they leave thy clifTs, Craig-Forth \t 
And soon the bulwark of the North, 

* [The ruins of Doime Castle, formerly the reBi- 
dence of the Earls of Monteith, now the property of 
the Earl of Moray, are situated at the confluence of 
the Ardoch and the Teith.] 

t [MS. — "Blair Drummond saw their hoofs of 
fire."] 

t (It liiay be worth noting that the Poet marks the 
progress of the King by naming in succession places 
familiar and dear to his own early recollections — 
Blair Drummond, the seat of the Homes of Kaimes : 
Kier, that of the principal family of the name of Stir- 
ling : Ochtertyre, that of John Ramsey, the well 
known antiquarian, and correspondent of Burns : 
and Craigforth, that of the Callenders of Craig- 
forth, almost under the walls of Stirling Castle : 
—all hospitable roofs, under which he had spent 
many of bis younger days.— £d.) 



214 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Gray Stirling, with her towers and town, 
Upon their Heet career look'd down. 

XIX. 

As up the flinty path they strain'd,* 

Sudden his steed the leader rein'd ; 

A signal to his squire he flung, 

Who instant to his stirrup sprung :— 

*' Seest thou, De Vaux, yon woodsman grs^. 

Who town-ward holds the rocky way, 

Of stature tall and poor array ? 

Mark'st thou the firm, yet active stride, 

With which he scales the mountain-side ?t 

Know'st thou from whence he comes, or whomf 

*• No, by my word ; a burly groom 

He seems, who in the field or chase 

A baron's train would nobly grace."— 

" Out, out, De Vaux! can fear supply, 

And jealousy, no sharper eye ? 

Afar, ere to the hill he drew. 

That stately form and step I knew; 

Like form in Scotland is not seen. 

Treads not such step on Scottish green. 

*Tis James of Douglas, by Saint Serle !t 

The uncle of the banish'd Earl. 

Away, away, to court, to show. 

The near approach of dreaded foe : 

* (MS.— "As up the steepy path they strain'd.'7 
f (MS— "With which he gains the mountain side.'^ 
X (The Edinburg Reviewer remarks on "that un- 
happy couplet, where the King himself is in such dis- 
tress for a rhyme as to be obliged to apply to one of 
the obscurest saints in the calendar." The reading 
©f the MS. is-- 

" 'Tis James of Douglass, by my word, 

The uncle of the banish'd Lord.") . 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 215 

The King must stand upon his guard ; 
Douglas and he must meet prepared." 
Then right-hand wheeld their sieeda, and 

straight 
They won the castle's postern gate. 

XX. 

The Douglas, who had bent his way 

From Cambus-Kenneth'sr abbey gray, 

Now, as he climb'd the rocky shelf, 

Held sad communion with himself: — 

** Yes ! all is true my fears could frame ; 

A prisoner lies ihe noble Graeme, 

And fiery Roderick soon will feel 

The vengeance of ihe royal sieel. 

I, only 1, can ward iheir fate — 

God grant the ransom come not late ! 

The Abbess hath her promise given, 

My child shall be the bride of Heaven ; — 

—Be pardon'd one repining fear ! 

For He, who gave her, knows how dear. 

How excellent ! but that is by, 

And now my business is — lo die. 

— Ye towers I within whose circuit dread 

A Douglas by his sovereign bled ; 

And thou, O sad and faial mound I* 

That oft hast heard the deaih-axe sound, 

•An eminence on ttie north-east of the Castle, 
where state criminals were executed. Stirling was 
often polluted with noble Llood. It is thus apostro- 
phised by J. Johnston :— 

•* Discordia tri?tis 

Heu quoties proceruni ^anguine tinxit humum 
Hoc uno infelix. et felix cetera nusquam 
LaBtior aut coeli frons geiiiusve soii." 
The fate of Wiiliani, eichth Earl of Douglaa, 
Whom James II. stabbed in Stirling Castle with hii 



216 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

I As on the noblest of the land 

I' Fell the stern headsman's bloody hand,- 

The dungeon, block, and nameless tomb 

Prepare — for Douglas seeks his doom ! 

— But hark ! what blithe and jolly peal 

Makes the Franciscan steeple reel ? 

And see ! upon the crowded street, 

In motley groups what maskers meet ! 

Banner and pageant, pipe, and drum, 

And merry morrice-dancers come. 

I guess, by all this quaint array, 

The burghers hold their sports to-day.* 

own hand, and while under his royal safe-conduct, 
is familiar to ail who read Scottish history. Murdack 
Duke of Albany, Duncan Ear! of Lennox, his father- 
in-law, and his two sons, Walter and Alexander 
Stuart, were executed at Stirling, in 1425. They 
were beheaded upon an eminence without the castle 
walls, but making part of the same hill, from whence 
they could behold their strong castle of Doune, and 
their extensive possessions. This "heading hill, " as 
it was sometimes termed, bears commonly the less 
terrible name of Hurly-hacket, from its having been 
the scene of a courtly amusement alluded lo by Sir 
David Lindsay, who says of the pastimes in which 
the young King was engaged, 

" Some harled him to the Hurly-hacket ;" 
which consisted in gliding, in some sort of chair it 
may be supposed, from top to bottom of a smooth 
bank. The boys of Edinburgh, about twenty years 
ago, used to play at the hurly-hacket on the Gallon-, 
hill, using for their seat a horse's skull. 

* Every burgh of Scotland, of the least note, but 
more especially the considerable towns, had their 
solemn play, or festival, when feats of archery were 
exhibited, and prizes distributed to those who ex- 
celled in wrestling, hurling the bar, and the other 
gymnastic exercises of the period. Stirling, a usual 
Dlace of royal residence, was not likely to be defi- 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 217 

James will be there ; he loves such show, 
Where the good yeoman bends his bow, 
cient in pomp upon such occasions, especially since 
James V. was very partial to them. His ready par- 
ticipation in these popular amusements was one 
cause of his acquiring the title of King of the Coai' 
nxons, or Rez Plebeiorum, as Leslie has latinized it. 
The usual prize to the best shooter was a silver ar- 
row. Such a one is preserved at Selkirk, and at 
Peebles. At Dumfries, a silver gun was substituted, 
and the contention transferred to fire-arms. The 
ceremony, as there performed, is the subject of an 
excellent Scottish poem, by Mr. John INlayne, enti- 
tled the Siller Gun, 1808, which surpasses the efforts 
of Ferguson, and comes near those of Burns. 

Of Jamess attachment to archery, Piitscottie, the 
faithful though rude recorder of the manners of that 
period, has given us evidence : 

"In this year there came an embassador out of 
England, named Lord William Howard, with a 
bishop with him, with many other gentlemen, to 
the number of three-score horse, which were all 
able men and waled [picked] men for all kind of 
games and pastimes, shooting, louping, running, 
wrestliiig and casting of the stone, but they were 
well 'sayed [essayed or tried] ere they passed out 
of Scotland, and that by their own provocation ; 
but ever they tint : till at last, the Queen of Scot- 
land, the king's mother, favoured the Englishmen, 
because she was the King of England's si^^ter : and 
therefore she took an enterprise of archery upon 
the English-men'g hands, contrary her son the King, 
and any six in Scotland that he would wale, either 
gentlemen or yeomen, that the English-men should 
Bhoot against them, either at pricks, revers, or buts, 
as the Scots pleased. 

" The King hearing this of his mother, was con- 
tenti and gart her pawn a hundred crowns, and a 
ton of wine, upon the English-men's hands ; and he 
incontinent laid down as much for the Scottish men. 
The field and ground was chosen in St. Andrews, 
Bud three landed men and three yeomen chosen to 
T 



218 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

And the tough wrestler foils his foe, 

As well as where, in proud career, 

The high-born tilter shivers spear. 

I'll follow to the Castle-park, 

And play my prize ; — King James shall mark, 

If age has tamed these sinews stark, 

Whose force so oft, in happier days, 

His boyish wonder loved to praise." 

XXI. 

The Castle gates were open flung. 

The quivering drawbridge rock'd and rung, 

And echo'd loud the flinty street 

Beneath the coursers' clattering feet, 

As slowly down the steep descent 

Fair Scotland's King and nobles went, * 

While all along the crowded way 

Was jubilee and loud huzza. 

And ever James was bending low, 

To his vvhite jennet's saddle-bow, 

Doffing his cap to city dame, 

Who smiled and blush'd for pride and shame. 

And well the simperer might be vain,— 

He chose the fairest of the train. 

shoot against the English-men, to wit, David We- 
myss of that ilk, David Arnot of that ilk, and Mr. 
John Wedderl)urn, vic:ir of Dundee ; the yeomen 
John Thomson in Leith. Stephen Taburner, with a 
piper called Alexander Bailie, they shot very near 
and warred [worsted] the Englishmen of their enter- 
prise, and wan the hundred crowns and the ton of 
wine, which made the King very merry tl)at his mea 
wan the victory."— P. 147. 
* (MS. — '^Kingr James and all his nobles went— 
Ever the King was bending low 
To his white jennet's siddle-bow. 
Doffing his cap to burgher dame, 
Who smiling blush'd for pride and shame.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 219 

Gravely he greets each city sire, 
Commends each pageant's quaint attire, 
Gives to the dancers thanks aloud, 
And smiles and nods upon the crowd. 
Who rend the heavens with their acclaims, 
"Long live the Commons' King, King James !" 
Behind the King throng'd peer and knight, 
And noble dame and damsel bright, 
Whose fiery steeds ill brook'd the stay 
Of the steep street and crowded way. 
— But in the train you might discern 
Dark lowering brow and visage stern ; 
There nobles mourn' d their pride restrain'd,* 
And the mean burgher's joys disdained ; 
And chiefs, who, hostage for their clan, 
Were each from home a banished man. 
There thought upon their own gray tower, 
Their waving woods, their feudal power, 
And deem'd themselves a shameful part 
Of pageant which they cursed in heart. 

XXII. 

Now, in the Castle-park, drew out 
Their checker'd bands the joyous rout. 
There morricers, with bell at heel, 
And blade in hand, their mazes wheel ;t 
♦ (MS. — " Nobles who mourn'd their power re- 
strain'd, 
And the poor burgher's joye disdain'd ; 
Dark chief, who, h03tage for his clan, 
Was /rom his home a banish'd man, 
Who thought upon his own gray tower, 
The wavins woods, his feudal power. 
And deeni'd himself a shameful part 
Of pageant that he curs'd in heart.") 
t [The MS. adds :— 

"With awkward stride there city groom 
Would part of fabled knight assume."] 



220 THE LADY OF THE LAKE, 

But chief, beside the butts, there stand 
Bold Robin Hood* and all his band, — 

* The exhibition of this renowned outlaw and his 
band was a favourite frolick at such festivals as we 
are describing. This sporting, in vi'hich kings did not 
disdain to be actors, was prohibited in Scotland up- 
on the reformation, by a statute of the 6th Parlia- 
ment of Queen Mary, c. 61, a. d. 1555,which ordered, 
under heavy penalties, that, " na manner of person 
be chosen Robert Hude, nor Little John, Abbot of 
Unreason, Queen of May, nor otherwise." But in 
1561, the "rascal multitude," says John Knox, "were 
stirred up to make a Robin Hude, whilk enormity 
was of many years left and damned by statute and 
act of Parliament; yet would they not be forbidden." 
Accordingly, they raised a very serious tumult, and 
at length made prisoners the magistrates who en- 
deavoured to suppress it, and would not release them 
till they extorted a formal promise that no one should 
be punished for his share of the disturbance. It 
would seem, from the complaints of the General As- 
sembly of the Kirk that tlit-se profane festivities 
were continued down to 1592.t Bold Robin was, to 
say the least, equally successful in maintaining hia 
ground against the reformed clergy of England ; for 
the simple and evangelical Latimer complains of 
coming to a country church, where the people refused 
to hear him, because it was Robin Hood's day; and 
his mitre and rochet were fain to give way to the 
village pastime. Much curious information on this 
subject may be found in the Preliminary Disserta- 
tion to the late Mr. Ritson's edition of songs respect- 
ing this memorable outlaw. The game of Robin 
Hood was usually acted in May: and he was associa- 
ted with the Morrice-dancers, on whom so much 
Illustration has been bestowed by the commentators 
on Shakspeare. A very lively picture of these fes- 
tivities, containing a great deal of curious informa- 
tion on the subject of the private life and amuse- 
ments of our ancestors, was thrown by the late in- 
t fiooJc of the Universal £jrk, p. 414. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 221 

Friar Tuck with quarterstaff and cowl, 
Old Scathelock with his surly scowl. 
Maid Marion, fair as ivory bone, 
Scarlet, and Mutch, and Little John ; 
Their bugles challenge ail that will, 
In archery to prove their skill; 
The Douglas bent a bow of might, — 
His first shaft centred in the white, 
And when in turn he shot again, 
His second split the first in twain. 
From the King's hand must Douglas take 
A silver dart, the archer's stake : 
Fondly he watch'd, with watery eye,* 
Some answering glance of sympathy, — 
No kind emotion made reply ! 
Indifferent as to archer wight, 
The monarch gave the arrow bright. t 

geniows Mr. Strutt, into his romance entitled Queen- 
Boo-Hall, published after his death, in li;08. 
* (MS. — "Fondly he watch'd, with watery eye, 
For answering glance of sympathy, — 
But no emotion made reply ! 
Indifferent a$ to uvknown Iwiffht 
Cold as to unknown yeoman y 
The King gave forth the arrow bright.") 

t The Douglas of the poem is an imaginary per- 
son, a supposed uncle of the Earl of Angus. But the 
king's behaviour during an unexpected interview 
with the Laird of Kilspindie, one of the banished 
Douglasses, under circumstances similar to those in 
the text, is imitated from a real story told by Hume 
of Godscroft. I would have availed myself more 
fully of the simple and affectimg circumstances of 
the old history, had tiiey not been already woven 
into a pathetic hallad by my friend Mr. Finlay.t 
•'His (the king's ) implacability (towards the family 
t See Scottish Historical and Romantic Ballads. Glasgow, 1808, voU 
li, p. 147. 



233 THE LADY OF THR LAKE. 
XXIII. 

Now clear the ring ! for, hand to hand, 
The manly wrestlers take their stand. 

of Douglas) did also appear in his carriage towards 
Archibald oi Kilspindie, whom he, when he was a 
child, loved singularly well for his ability of body, 
and was wont to call him his Gray-Steill.* Archi- 
bald being banished inio England, could not well 
comport witii the humor of that nation, which he 
thought to be too proud, and that they had too high 
a conceit of themselves, joined with a contempt 
and despising of all others. Wherefore, beinjj wea- 
rit^d of that life, and remembering the King's favour 
of old towards him, he determined to try the king's 
mercifulness and clemency. So he comes into Scot- 
land, and taking occasion of the king's hunting in the 
park at Stirling, he casts himself to be in bis way, as he 
was coming home to the castle. So soon as the king 
saw him afar off, ere he came near, he guessed U was 
he, and said to one of his courtiers, yonder is my 
Gray-Steill, Archibald of Kilspindie, if he be alive. 
The other answered, that it could not be he, and that 
he dutst not coiLe into the king's presence. The king 
approaching. he fell upon his knees and craved pardon 
and promised from thenceforward to abstain from 
meddling in public aftairs, and to lead a quiet and 
private life. The king went by, without giving him 
any answer, and trotted a good round pace up the 
hill. Kilspindie followed, and, though he wore on 
him a secret or shirt of mail, fur his particular ene- 
mies, was as soon at the castle-gate as the king. 
Thert' he sat him down upon a stone without, and en- 
treated some of the king's servants for a cup of 
drink, being weary and thirsty; but they, fearing the 
king's displeasure, durst give him none. When the 
king was set at his dinner, he asked what he had 
done, what he had said, and wliither he had gone ? 
It was told him that he had desired a cup of drink, 
and had gotten none. The king reproved them very 
sharply for their discourtesy, and told them, that if 
* Acbuopion of popular romance. See Ellis't Bomanctt, vol. iii. 



THK LADY OF THE LAKE. . 223 

Two o'er the rest superior rose, 
And proud demanded mightier foes, 
Nor call'd in vain ; for Douglas came. 
— For hfe is Hugh of Larbert lame ; 
Scarce better John of Alloa's fare, 
Whom senseless home his comrades bear. 
Prize of the wrestling match, the Kmg 
To Douglas gave a gulden rmg,* 

he had not taken an oath that no Douglas should 
ever serve him, he would have lec-ived him into his 
service, for he had seen him sometime a man of 
great ability. Then he sent him word logo to Leilh, 
and expect his further pleasure. Then some kins- 
man of David Falconer, ihe canonier, that was slain 
atTantallon, began to quarrel with Archibald about 
the matter, wherewith ihe King showed himself not 
well pleased when he heard of it. Then he com- 
manded him to go to France lor a certain space, till 
he heard further from him. And so he did, and died 
shortly after. This gave occasion to the King of 
England, (Henry VIll) to blan.e his nephew, alleg- 
ing the old saying. That a king's face should give 
grace. For this Archibald (whatsoever were Angus' 
or Sir George's fault) had not been principal actor of 
any thing, nor no counsellor, nor stirrer up, but only 
a follower of his friends, and thai noways cruelly dis- 
posed."— Hume of Godscroft, ii. 107. 

* The usual prize of wrestling was a ram and a 
ring,but the animal would have embarrassed my story. 
Thus, in the Coke's Tale of Gamelyn, ascribed to 
Chaucer : 

"There happed to be there beside 
Tryed a wre.*iling ; 

And 'theref ire there was y-selten 
A ram and als a ring " 
Again the Litil Geste of Robin Hood : 

" By a brictge was a wrestlind 

And there taryed was he, 

And there was all the best yemea 
Of all the west countrey. 



224 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

While coldly glanced his eye of blue, 

As frozen drop of wintry dew. 

Douglas would speak, but in his breast 

His struggling soul his words suppress'd ; 

Indignant then he turn'd him where 

Their arms the brawny yeomen bare, 

To hurl the massive bar in air. 

When each his utmost strength had shown, 

The Douglas rent an earth-fast stone 

From its deep bed, then heaved it high, 

And sent the fragment through the sky, 

A rood beyond the farthest mark ; — 

And still in Stirling's royal park, 

The gray-hair'd sires who know the past, 

To strangers point the Douglas-cast, 

And moralize on the decay 

Of Scottish strength in modern day.* 

XX [V. 

The vale with loud applauses rang, 
The Ladies' Rock sent back the clang. 
The King, with look unmov'd, bestovv'd 
A purse well fill'd with pieces broad. t 
Indignant smiled the Douglas proud, 
And threw the gold among the crowd, t 

A full fayre game there was set up, 

A white hull up y-pight, 
A great courser with saddle and brydle, 

With gold burnished fullbryght ; 
A payre of gloves, a red golde ringe, 

A pipe of wine, good fay ; 
What man bereth him best, I wis, 
The prise shall bear away." 

Ritson's Robin Hood, vol. I. 
• [MS.— "Of mortal strength in modern day."] 
t [MS. — "A purse weigh'd down with pieces 

broad."] 
t iM.8.— " Scattered the gold among the crowd."] 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 235 

Who now, with anxious wonder, scan, 

And sharper glance, the dark gray man ; 

Till whispers rose among the throng, 

Th.it heart so free and hand so strong. 

Must to the Douglas blood belong ; 

The old men mark'd and shook the head, 

To see his hair with silver spread, 

And wink'd aside, and told each son, 

Of feats upon the English done, 

E':'e Douglas of the stalwart-hand* 

"W^as exiled from his native land. 

The women prais'd his stately form, 

T hough wreck'd by many a winter's storm ;t 

The youth with awe and wonder saw 

Ilis strength surpassing Nature's law. 

Thus judged, as is- their wont, the crowd, 

Till murmur rose to clamours loud. 

But not a glance from that proud ring 

Of peers who circled round the King, 

With Douglas held communion kind. 

Or call'd thebanish'd man to mind ;t 

No, not from those who, at the chase, 

Once held his side the honour'd place, 

Begirt his board, and, in the field. 

Found safety underneath his shield; 

For he, whom royal eyes disown. 

When was his form to courtiers known ! 

XXV. 

The Monarch saw the gambols flag, 

And bade let loose a gallant stag, 

Whose pride, the holyday to crown, 

Two favourite greyhounds should pull down, 

• [MS. — "Ere James of Douglas^ s-talwart hand."] 
t [MS. — •'Thonch worn by many a winter storm."] 
t ^MS.— MOr called his xiaiely form to mind.''] 
15 



226 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

That venison free, and Bourdeaux wine, 
Might serve the archery to dine. 
But liufra, — whom from Douglas' side 
Nor bribe nor threat could e'er divide, 
The fleetest hound in all the North, — 
Brave Lufra saw and darted forth. 
She left the royal hounds mid-way, 
And dashing on the antler'd prey, 
Sunk her sharp muzzle in his flank, 
And deep the flowing life-blood drank. 
The King's stout huntsman saw the sport 
By strange intruder broken short, 
Came up, and, with his leash unbound, 
In anger struck the noble hound. 
—The Doughs had endured, that morn, 
The King's cold look, the nobles' scorn, 
And last, and worst to spirit proud, 
Had borne the pity of the crowd ; 
But Lufra had been fondlv bred, 
To share his board, to watch his bed, 
And Ellen oft would Lufra's neck. 
In maiden glee, with garlands deck; 
They were such playmates, that with name 
Of Lufra. Ellen's image came^ 
His stifled wrath is brimming high, 
In darken'd brow and flashing eye ; 
As waves before the bark divide. 
The crowd gave way before his stride : 
Needs but a buffet, and no more, 
The groom lies senseless in his gore. 
Such blow no other hand could deal, 
Though gauntleted in glove of steel. 

XXVI. 
Then clamour'd loud the royal train,* 
And brandish'd swords and staves amain. 
*LMS.— " Clamoured his comrades of the train."] 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 227 

But stern the Baron's warning — "Back !♦ 

Back, on your lives, ye menial pack ! 

Beware the Douglas. — Yes I behold, 

King James . The Douglas, doom'd of old, 

And vainly si^.ght for near and far, 

A victim to atone the war, 

A willing victim, now attends, 

Nor craves thy grace but for his friends.'* 

*' Thus is ray clemency repaid ? 

Presumptuous Lord!" the Monarch said ; 

*' Of thy mis-proud ambitious clan, 

Thou, James of Bothwell, wert the maOt 

The only man, in whom a foe 

My woman-mercy would not know ; 

But shall a monarch's presence brookt 

Injurious blow and haughty look ? — 

What, ho! the Captain of our Guard! 

Give the off'ender fitting ward. — 

Break off the sports !" — for tumult rose, 

And yeomen 'gan to bend their bows, — 

" Break ofFthe sports 1" he said, and frown' d, 

" And bid our horsemen clear the ground." 

XXVII. 

Then uproar wild and misarray 
Marr'd the fair form of festal day. 
The horsemen prick'd among the crowd, 
Repeird by threats and insult loud ;t 
To earth are borne the old and weak. 
The timorous fly, the women shriek : 

*(MS. — "But Btern the warrior's warning—' 
'Back'"') 

t (MS.— " But in my court, injuriou.s blow, 

And bearded thus, and thus out-dared 1 
What, ho ! th« Captain of our Guard !") 

t MS.— {'* Their threats repelled by insuU loud."J 



228 THE LADY OF THE LAKK. 

With flint, with shaft, with staff, with bar. 
The hardier urge tumuhuous war. 
At once round Douglas darkly sweep 
The royal spears in circle deep, 
And slowly scale the pathway steep; 
While on the rear in thunder pour 
The rabble with disordered roar. 
With grief the noble Douglas saw 
The Commons rise against the law. 
And to the leading soldier said, — 
*' Sir John of Hyndford ! 'twas my blade, 
That knighthood on thy shoulder laid ; 
For that good deed, permit me then 
A word with these misguicfbd men. 

XXVIIl. 
" Hear, gentle friends ! ere yet for me^ 
Ye break the bands of fealty. 
My life, my honour, and my cause, 
1 tender free to Scotland's laws. 
Are these so weak as must require 
The aid of your misguided ire ? 
Or, if I suffer causeless wrong. 
Is then my selfish rage so strong, 
My sense of public weal so low. 
That, for mean vengeance on a foe. 
Those cords of love I should unbind, 
Which knit my country and my kindf 
Oh no! Believe, in yonder tower, 
It will not soothe my captive hour, 
To know those spears 0Ur foes should dreacU 
For me in kindred gore are red ; 
To know, in fruitless brawl begun, 
For me, that mother wails her son ; 
For me, that widow's mate expires; 
For me, that orphans weep their sires; 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 229 

That patriots mourn insulted laws. 
And curse the Douglas for the cause. 
O let your patience ward such ill, 
And keep your right to love me still !" 

XXIX. 

The crowd's wild fury sunk again* 

In tears, as tempests melt in rain; 

With lifted hands and eyes, they pray'd 

For blessings on his generous head, 

Who for his country felt alone. 

And prized her blood beyond his own. 

Old men, upon the verge of life, 

Bless'd him who stay'd the civil strife ; 

And mothers held their babes on high, 

The self-devoted Chief to spy, 

Triumphant over wrong* and ire, 

To whom the prattlers owed a sire: 

Even the rough soldier's heart was movea 

As if behind some bier beloved, 

With trailing arms and drooping head. 

The Douglas up the hill he led, 

And at the Castle's battled verge, 

With sighs resigned his honour' d charge^, x , i 

XXX. — CX^/"' 

The offended Monarch rode apart. 
With bitter thought and swelling heart. 
And would not now vouchsafe again 
Through Stirling streets to lead his train, 
'' O Lenox, who would wish to rule 
This changeling crowd, this common fool t— 
Hear'st thou," he said, ''the loud acclaim, 
With which they shout the Douglas name ? 

* TMS. — " The crowd's wild fury ebbed amain 
In tears, as leiupests sink in rain."] 



1^30 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

With like acclaim, the vulgar throat 

Strain'd lor King James their morning note ; 

With like acclaim they hail'd the day, 

When first I broke the Douglas sway ; 

And like acclaim would Douglas greet, 

If he could hurl me from my seat. 

Who o'er the herd would wish to reign. 

Fantastic, fickle, fierce, and vain ! 

Vain as a leaf upon the stream,* ^ 

And fickle as a changeful dream ; 

Fantastic as a woman's mood, 

And fierce as Frenzy's fever'd blood. 

Thou many-headed monster-thing,t 

who would wish to be thy king ! 

XXXI. 

*' But soft ! what messenger of speed 
Spurs hithervvard his panting steed ? 

1 guess his cognizance afar — 

What from our cousin, John of Mar ?'' — 

"He prays, my liege, your sports keep bound 

Within the safe and guarded ground; 

For some foul purpose yet unknown, — 

Most sure for evil to the throne, — 

The outlawed Chieftain, Roderick Dhu, 

Has summoned his rebellious crew : 

* [MS.— "Vain as the ?ick man's idle dream."] 

t [• "Who deserves greatness. 

Deserves your hate ; and your affeclions are 
A sick man's appetite, who desires most that 
Which would increase his evil. He that depends 
Upon your ifavors, swims with fins of lead, 
And hews down oaks with rushes. Hang ye! 

Trust ye ! 
With every minute you do change a mind : 
And call him noble, that was now your hate, 
Him vile that was your carland.*' J— CorioianuK. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 231 

*Tis said, in James of Bothwell's aid 
These loose banditti stand array'd. 
The Earl of Mar, this morn, from Doune 
To break their muster march'd, and soon 
Your grace will hear of battle fought ; 
But earnestly the Earl besought, 
Till for such danger he provide. 
With scanty train you will not ride."* 

XXXTI. 

" Thou warn'st me I have done amiss,— 
I should have earlier look'd to this : 
I lost it in this bustling day. 
— Retrace with speed thy former way, 
Spare not for spoiling of thy steed, 
The best of mine shall be thy meed. 
!Say to our faithful Lord of Mar, 
We do forbid the intended war : 
Roderick, this morn, in single fight, 
Was made our prisoner by a knight : 
And Douglas hath himself and cause 
Submitted to our kingdom's laws. 
The tidings of their leaders lost 
Will soon dissolve the mountain host, 
Nor would we that the vulgar feel. 
For their Chief's crimes, avenging steel. 
Bear Mar our message, Braco ffly !'' — 
He turn'd his steed, — "My liege, I hie, — 
Yet, ere I cross this lily lawn, 
I fear the broadswords will be drawn." 
The turf the flying courser spurn'd. 
And to his towers the King returned. 

xxxiir. 

Ill with King James's mood that day, 
Suited gay feast and minstrel lay ; 
•[MS.— "On distant chase you will not ride.'»i 



232 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Soon were dismissed the courtly throng, 
And soon cut short the festal song, 
Nor less upon the sudden'd town 
The evening sunk in sorrow down. 
The burghers spoke of civil jar, 
Of rumour'd feuds and mountain war; 
Of Moray, Mar, and Roderick Dhu, 
All up in arms ; — the Douglas too, 
They mourn'd him pent within the hold 
" Where stout Earl William was of old,"* 
And there his word the speaker siaid, 
And finger on his lip he laid, 
Or pointed to his dagger blade. 
But jaded horsemen from the west, 
At evening to the Castle pressed ; 
And busy talkers said they bore 
Tidings of fight on Katrine's shore ; 
At noon the deadly fray begun, 
And lasted till the set of sun. 
Thus giddy rumour shook the town, 
Till closed the night her pennons brown. 



CANTO SIXTH. 

THE GUARD ROOM. 
I. 

The sun, awakening, through the smoky ail 
Of the dark city casts a sullen glance, 

Rousing each caitiff to his task of care, 
Ofsinful man the sad inheritance ; 

Summoning revellers from the lagging dance. 
Scaring the prowling robber to liis den • 

• Stabbed by James II. in Stirling Castle. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 233 

Gilding on battled tower the warder's lance, 
And warning student pale to leave his pen, 
And yield his drowsy eyes to the kind nurse of 
men. 

What various scenes, and, O ! what scenes of 
wo, 
Are witness'd by that red and struggling 
beam I 
The feverd patient, from his pallet low, 

Through crowded hospital beholds its stream ; 
The ruin'd maiden trembles at its gleam, 

The debtor wakes to thought of gyve and jail, 

The love-lorn wretch starts from tormenting 

dream ; 

The wakeful mother, by the glimmering pale, 

Trims her sick infant's couch, and soothes his 

feeble wail. 

11. 

At dawn the towers of Stirling rang 
With soldier-step and weapon-clang, 
While drums, with rolling note, foretell 
Relief to weary sentinel. 
Through narrow loop and casement barr'd,* 
The sunbeams sought the Court of Guard, 
And struggling with the smoky air, 
Deaden'd the torches' yellow glare. 
In comfortless alliance shonet 
The lights through arch of blacken'd stone, 
And show'd wild shapes in garb of war, 
Faces deform'd with beard and S'car, 

* (MS.— "Througrh blackened arch and casement 

barr'd.") 
t (MS."" The lights in strange alliance shone 
Beneath ihe arch of blacken'd stone." 

u 



234 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

All haggard from the midnight watch, 
And t'ever'd with the stern debauch ; 
For the oak table's massive board, 
Flooded with wine, with fragments stored, 
And beakers drain'd, and cups o'erthrown, 
Showed in what sport the night had flown. 
Some, weary, snored on floor and bench ; 
Some labor'd still their thirst to quench: 
Some chill'd with watching, spread iheir hands 
O'er the huge chimney's dying brands, 
While round them, or beside them flung. 
At every step their harness rung. A^y^ 

III. ^'"^ 

These drew not for their fields the sword, 
Like tenants of a feudal lord, 
Norown'd the patriarchal claim 
Of Chieftain in their leader's name ; 
Adventurers they, from far who roved, 
To live by battle which they loved.* 

* The Scottish armies consisted chiefly of the no* 
biiity and barons, with their vassals, who held lands 
under them, for military services by themselves and 
their tenants. The patriarchal influ'-nce exercised 
by the heads of clans in the Highlands and Borders 
was of a ditferent nature, and sometimes at variance 
with feudal principles. It flowed from the Patria 
Potestas, exdTcised by the chieftain as representing 
the original father of the whole name, and was often 
obeyed in contradiciion to the feudal superior. James 
V. seems first to have introduced, in addition to the 
milita furnished from these sources, the service of a 
pmall number of mercenaries, who formed a body- 
guard, calif d the Font Band. The satirical poet. Sir 
David Lindsay, (or the person who wrote the pro- 
logue to his play of the "Three Esiaites,") has in- 
troduced Fiiilay of the Foot Band, who, after much 
swaggering upon the stage, ii at length put to flight 



THE LADY OF T^E LAKE. 



235 



There the Italian's clouded face, 
The swarthy Spaniard's there you trace ; 
The mountain-loving Switzer there 
More freely breathed in mountain-air ; 
The Fleming there despised the soil, 
That paid so ill (he laborer's toil ; 
Their rolls show'd French and German name ; 
And merry England's exiles came, 
To share, with ill-conceaPd disdain, 
Of Scotland's pay the scanty gain. 
All brave in arms, well train'd to wield 
The heavy halberd, brand, and shield ; 
by the Fool, who terrifies him by means of a sheep'fl 
skull upon a pole. I have rather chosen to give them 
the harsh name of the mercenary soldiers of the pe- 
riod, than of ihis Scottish Tliraso. These partook 
of the character of the Adventurous Companions of 
Froissart, or the Condotii^iri of Italy. 

One of the best and liveliest traits of such manners 
is the will of a leader called Getfroy Tete Noir, who 
having been slightly wounded in a skirmish, his in- 
temperance brought on a mortal disease. When he 
found himself dying, he summoned to his bedside the 
adventurers he commanded, and thus addressed 
Ihem : 

'• Fayre sirs, q^iod Geffroy, I knowe well ye have al- 
ways served and honoured me as men ought to serve 
their own soveraynge and capitayne. and I shall be 
the gladder if ye wyl agre to have your capitayne 
one that is discended of my bloode. Beholde here 
Aleyne Roux, my cosyn, and Peter his brother, who 
are men of amies and of my bloode. 1 require you 
to make Aleyne your capitayne, and to swere to hym 
faythe, obeysaunce, love, and loyalte, here in my 
presence, and also to his brother ; howe be it I wyil 
that Aleyne have the sovrayne charee. Sir. quod 
they, we are well content, for ye hauve ryght well 
chosen. There all the compaynons made them breke 
no poyntof that ye have ordayned and commaund 
td."— LoBD Bernebs' Froissart. 



236 THE LADV OF THE LAKE. 

In camps licentious, wild, and bold ; 
In pillage fierce and un controlled; 
And now, by holytide and feasl, 
From rules of discipline released,. 

IV. 

They held debate of bloody fray, 

Fought 'twixt Loch Katrine and Achray. 

Fierce was their speech, and, mid their words, 

Their hands oft grappled to their swords ; 

Nor sunk their tone to spare the ear 

Of wounded comrades groaning near, 

Whose mangled limbs, and bodies gored, 

Bore token of the mountain sword, 

Though neighbouring to the Court of Guard, 

Their prayers and feverish wails were heard ; 

Sad burden to the ruffian joke. 

And savage oath by fury spoke ! — * 

At length up started John of Brent, 

A yeoman from the banks of Trent ; 

A stranger to respect or fear, 

In peace a chacer of the deer, 

In host a hardy mutineer. 

But still the boldest of the crew, 

When deed of danger was to do. 

He grieved, that day, their games cut short. 

And marr'd the dicer's brawling sport, 

And shouted loud, " Renew the bowl ! 

And, while a merry catch I troll, 

Let each the buxom chorus bear. 

Like brethren of the brand and spear." 

• (MS.—" Sad burden to the ruffian jest, 

And rude oaths vented by the retit.-') 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 237 
V. 

soldier's song. 

Our vicar still preaches that Peter and Poule 
Laid a swinging loud curse on the bonny brown 

bowl, 
That there's wrath and despair in the jolly black- 
jack, 
And the seven deadly sins in a llagon of sack ; 
Yet whoop, Barnaby ! off with thy liquor, 
Drink upsees* out, and a fig for the vicar! 

Our vicar he calls it damnation to sip 
The ripe ruddy dew of a woman's dear lip. 
Says, that Beelzebub lurks in her kerchief so sly, 
And ApoUyon shoots darts from her merry 

black eye ; 
Yet whoop, Jack ! kiss Gillian the quicker. 
Till she bloom Uke a rose, and fig for the vicar. 

Our vicar thus preaches — and why should he 

not? 
For the dues of his cure are the placket and pot ; 
And 'tis right of his oflBce poor layman to lurch, 
Who infringe the domains of our good Mother 

Church. 
Yet whoop, bully-boys ! off with your liquor. 
Sweet Marjorie's the word, and a fig for the 

vicar !t 

* Bacchanalian interjections borrowed from the 
Dutch. 

t ['The greatest blemish in the poem, is the rib- 
aldry and dull vulgarity which is put into the mouths 
of the soldiery in the guard-room. Mr. Scott has 
condescended to write a song for them, which will 
be read with pain, we are persuaded, even by his 
irarmest admirers ; and bis whole genius, and even 



238 THE LADY OF THE LARK. 

vr. 

The warder's challenge, heard without. 

Staid in tnid-roarihe merry shout. 

A soldier to the portal went,— 

'' Here is old Bertram, sirs, of Ghent ; 

And,— beat for jubilee the drum ! 

A maid and minstrel with him come." 

Bertram, a Fleming, gray and scarr'd, 

Was entering now the Court of Guard, 

A harper with him, and in plaid 

All muffled close, a mountain maid, 

Who backward shrunk to 'scape the view 

Of the loose scene and boisterous crew. 

" What news ?" they roar'd : — " I only know, 

From noon till eve we fought with foe, 

As wild and as untameable 

As the rude mountains where they dwell ; 

On both sides store of blood is lost, 

Nor much success can either boast.'' — 

" But whence thy captives, friend? such spoil 

As theirs must needs reward thy toil.* 

Old dost thou wax, and wars grow sharp ; 

Thou now hast glee-maiden and harp ! 

Get thee an ape, and trudge the land, 

The leader of a juggler band." — t 

his power of versification, seems to desert him when 
he aitempts to repeat their conversation. Here ia 
Borne of the stuff which has dropped, in this inau- 
epicioLis a'tempt, from the pen of one of the first 
poets of his age or country," &c. &;c. — Jeffrey.] 
* The MS. reads after this:-- 

*• Get thee an ape, and th'^n at once 
Thou mayst renounce the warder's lance, 
And trudsfe through horongh and through iandj 
The leader of a juggler band" 
tThe jongleurs, or jugglers, as we learn from the 
elaborate work of the laie Mr. Strutt, on the sporta 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 239 

VII. 

" No, comrade ; — no such fortune mine. 
After the fight these sought our line, 
That aged harper and the girl, 
And having audience of the Earl, 

and pastimes of the people of England, used to call 
in the aid of various assistants, to render these per- 
formances as c.iptivaling as possible. The glee- 
maiden was a necessary attendant Her duty was 
tanililing and dancing; and therefore the Anslo- 
Saxoii version of St. Marii's Gospel states Herodiaa 
to have vaulted or tumhied before King Herod. In 
Scotland, these poor creatures seem, even at a late 
period, to have lieen bondswomen to their masters, 
as appears from a case reported by Founiainhall. 
"Reid the mountebank, pursues Scot of Harden 
and his latly, for siealing away from him a little girl, 
called the lumhling-lassie, that danced upon his 
8t:ige; and he claimed damages, and produced a con- 
tract, whereby he bought her from her mother for 
30i. fJcots. But we have no slaves in Scotland, and 
mothers cannot sell their bairns; and physicians at- 
tested, the employment of tumbling would kill her; 
and hi r joints were now grown stiff, and she declin- 
ed to return ; though she was at least a 'prentice, 
and could not run away from her master ; yet some 
cited Moses's law% that if a servant shelter iiimself 
with thee, against hi.s master's cruelly, tl'ou shall not 
surely deliver him up. The Lords, reniffnt^ cancel- 
larin, assoilzied Harden, on the 27lh of January, 
(l(i87.j"— Fouxtai.nhall's Derisions, vol. i p. 439.* 
The facetious qualities of the ape soon rendered 
him an :iccept:ible addition to the stroling band of the 
jongleur. Ben Jonson, in his splenetic introduction 

* Thnujh less to my purpose, I cannot help noticing a circumstance 
respecting another of this Mr. Reid's attendants, which occurred during 
Jaines It's zeal for Catholic proselytism. and is to]J by Fountainhall, 
with dry Scottish irony. " January 17th, 1687— Reid the mountebank 
IS received into the Popish church, and one of his blackainores was per. 
suaded to accept of baptism from ttie Popish priests, and to tuin Chris- 
tian papist ; which was a great troiihy ; he was called James, after ll)« 
kiug aad cfaauccllur, uul the Apostle James.''— Ibid. p. 440. 



240 THE LADY OF THK LAKE. 

Mar bade I should purvey them steed, 

And bring them hitherward with speed. 

Forbear your mirth and rude alarm, 

For none shall do them shame or harm." — 

" Hear ye his boast ?" cried John of Brent, 

Ever to strife and jangling bent; 

" Shall he strike doe beside our lodge, 

And yet the jealous niggard grudge 

To pay the forester his lee ? 

rU have my share, howe'er it be, 

Despite of Moray, Mar, or thee." 

Bertram his forward step withstood ;* 

And, burning in his vengeful mood, 

Old Allan though unfit for strife, 

Laid hand upon his dagger-knife ; 

But Ellen boldly stepp'd between, 

And dropped at once the tartan screen :— 

So, from his morning cloud appears 

The sun of May, through summer tears. 

The savage soldiery amazed, t 

As on descended angel gazed ; 

Even hardy Brent, abash'd and tam'd, 

Stood half admiring, half ashamed. 

VIII. 
Boldly she spoke, — " Soldiers, attend ! 
My father was the soldier's friend ; 
to the comedy of "Bartholomew Fair," is at pains to 
inform the audience "that he has ne'er a sword-and- 
buckler man in his Fair, nor a juggler with a well- 
educated ape to come over the chaine for the King 
of England, and back again for the prince, and sit 
still on his haunches for the Pooe and the King of 
Spaine." 

*(MS.--" Bertram sjjj'^uf violence withstood ") 
t (MS.— " While the rude soldiery, amazed.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 241 

Cheer'd him in camps, in marches led 

And with him in the battle bled. 

Not from the valiant or the strong, 

Should exile's daughter suffer wrong."—* 

Answer'd De Brent, most forward still 

In every feat or good or ill, — 

'' I shame me of the part I play'd: 

And thou an outlaw's child, poor maid! 

An outlaw I by forest laws, 

And merry Needwood knows the cause. 

Poor Rose, — if Rose be living now," — t 

He wiped his iron eye and brow,— 

" Must bear such age, I think, as thou.- 

Hear ye, my mates ; — I go to call 

The Captain of our watch to hall : 

There lies my halberd on the floor; 

And he that steps my halberd o'er, 

To do the maid injurious part, 

My shaft shall quiver in his heart ! — 

Beware loose speech, or jesting rough : 

Ye all know John de Brent. Enough." 

IX. 

Their Captain came, a gallant young, — 
(Of TuUibardine's house he sprung,) 
Nor wore he yet the spurs of knight ; 
Gay was his mien, his humour li^ht, 
And, though by courtsey controlTd, 
Forward his speech, his bearing bold. 
The high-born maiden ill could brook 
The scanning of his curious look 
And dauntless eye ; — and yet, in sooth, 
Young Lewis was a generous youth : 

* (MS.--" Should Ellen Douglas suffer wrong.") 
t^MS.— " 'My Rose,— he wiped his iron eye and 
brow,— 
16 'Poor Rose,— if Rose be living now.' ") 



242 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

But Ellen's lovely face and mien, 

Ill-suited to the garb and scene, 

Might lightly bear construction strange. 

And give loose fancy scope to range. - 

" Welcome to Stirhng towers, fair maid! 

Come ye to seek a champion's aid, 

On palfrey white, with harper hoar. 

Like errant damosel of yore 1 

Does thy high quest a knight require, 

Or may the venture suit a squire ?" 

Her dark eye flash'd ; — she paus'd and sigh'd,-^ 

" O what have I to do with pride ! 

—Through scenes of sorrow, shame, and strife, 

A suppliant for a father's life, 

I crave an audience of the King. 

Behold, to back my suit, a ring, 

The royal pledge of grateful claims, 

Given by the monarch to Fitz-James."* 

^- . V :^',- 

The signet-ring young Lewis took, 
With deep respect and alter'd look ; 
And said. — " This ring our duties own ; 
And pardon, if to worth unknown, 
In semblance mean obscurely veil'd, 
Lady, in aught my folly fail'd. 
Soon as the day flings wide his gates. 
The King shall know what suitor waits. 
Please you, meanwhile, in fitting bower 
Repose you till his waking hour ; 
Female attendance shall obey 
Your best, for service or array — 
Permit I marshal you the way.'' 
But ere she follow'd, with the grace 
And open bounty of her race, 
♦MS.-- f 'The Monarch gave to James Fitz-Jamea." 



TflE LADT OF THE LAKE. 243 

She bade her slender purse be shared 

Among the soldiers of the guard. 

The rest with thanks their guerdon took , 

But Brent, with shy and awkward look, 

On the reluctant maiden's hold 

Forced bluntly back the proffer 'd gold ;— 

*' Forgive a haughty English heart, 

And O forget its ruder part ! 

The vacant purse shall be my share,* 

Which in my barret-cap I'll bear 

Perchance in jeopardy or war, 

Where gayer crests may keep afar." 

With thanks,— 'twas all she could, — the maid 

His rugged courtesy repaid. 

XI. 

When Ellen forth with Lewis went, 
Allan made suit to John of Brent :— 
" My lady safe, O let your grace 
Give me to see my master's face I 
His minstrel I, — to share his doom 
Bound from the cradle to the tomb. 
Tenth in descent, since first my sires 
Waked for his noble house their lyres, 
Nor orie of all the race was known 
But prized its weal above their own. 
With the Chiefs birth begins our care ; 
Our harp must soothe the infant heir. 
Teach the youth tales of fight, and grace 
His earliest feat of field or chase ; 
In peace, in war, our rank we keep. 
We cheer his board, we soothe his sleep, 
Nor leave him till we pour our verse, — 
A doleful tribute ! — o'er his hearse. 

* £MS.— " The silken purse shall servie for me, 
A.nd in my barret-cap shall flee."j 



244 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Then let me share his captive lot ; 
It is my right — deny it not 1" — 
" Little we reck," said John of Brent, 
" We Southern men, of long descent ; 
Nor wot we how a name — a word--- 
Makes clansmen vassals to a lord : 
Yet kind my noble landlord's part,--- 
God bless the house of Beaudesert ! 
And, but I loved to drive the deer, 
More than to gfuide the labouring steer, 
I had not dwelt an outcast here. 
Come, good old Minstrel, follow me; 
Thy Lord and Chieftain shalt thou see." 

XIL 

Then, from a rusted iron hook, 

A bunch of ponderous keys he took, 

Lighted a torch, and Allan led 

Through grated arch and passage dread. 

Portals they pass'd, where deep within, 

Spoke prisoner's moan, and fetters' din ; 

Through rugged vaults,* where, loosely stored. 

Lay wheel, and axe, and headsman's sword, 

And many a hideous engine grim, 

For wrenching joint and crushingt limb, 

By artists form'd, who deem'd it shame 

And sin to give their work a name. 

They halted at a low brow'd porch, 

And Brent to Allan gave the torch, 

While bolt and chain he backward roU'd, 

And made the bar unhasp its hold. 

They entered : — 'twas a prison room 

Of stern security and gloom, 

• (MS.— "Low broad vaults.") 
^ (US.—" Stretching.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 345 

Yet not a dungeon ; for the day 

Through lofty gratings found its way, 

And rude and antique garniture 

Deck'd the sad walls and oaken floor ;* 

Such as the rugged days of old, 

Deem'd fit for captive noble's hold. 

" Here," said De Brent, " thou mayst remaint 

Till the Leech visit him again. 

Strict is his charge, the warders tell, 

To tend the noble prisoner well." 

Retiring then the bolt he drew, 

And the lock's murmurs growl'd anew. 

Roused at the sound, from lowly bed 

A captive feebly raised his head ; 

The wondering Minstrel look'd, and knewV— 

Not his dear lord, but Roderick Dhu ! 

For, come from where Clan-Alpine fought, 

They, erring, deem'd the Chief he sought. 

XIIL 

As the tall ship, whose lofty prore 

Shall never stem the billows more, 

Deserted by her gallant band. 

Amid the breakers lies asirand, — 

So, on his couch, lay Roderick Dhu! 

And oft his fever'd limbs he threw 

In toss abrupt, as when her sides 

Lie rocking in the advancing tides, 

That shake her frame with ceaseless beat, 

Yet cannot heave her from her seat ; — 

• (MS.— •• Flinty floor.") 

t [MS. "Thou mayst remain, 

And then, retiring, bolt and chain, 
And rusty bar, he drew again. 
Boused at the sound/' &c.] 



§46 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

O ! how unlike her course at sea I* 

Or his free step on hill and lea !-— 

Soon as the Minstrel he could scan, 

— " What of thy lady ?~of my clan ? 

My mother ?---Doua;la3 ? — tell me all ! 

Have they been ruin'd in my fall ? 

Ah, yes ! or wherefore artthou here ! 

Yet speak, ---speak boldly, ---do not fear." 

(For Allan, who his mood well knew. 

Was choked with grief and terror too.) 

"Who fought— -who fled?-"01d man, be brie^ 

Some might-"for they had lost their Chief. 

Who basely live ?"-who bravely died !— " 

" O, calm thee, Chief!" the Minstrel cried, 

*• Ellen is safe ;"-" For that thank Heaven!"—* 

*' And hopes are for the Douglas given ;--- 

The Lady Margaret too is well. 

And, for thy clan, ---on field or fell, 

Has never harp of minstrel told,t 

Of combat fought so true and bold. 

Thy stately pine is yet unbent, 

Though many a goodly bough is rent.'* 

XIV. 

The Chieftain rear'd his form on high, 
And fever's fire was in his eye ; 
But ghastly, pale, and livid streaks 
Checker'd his swarthy brow and cheeks. 
— " Hark, Minstrel ! I have heard thee play 
With measure bold, on festal day. 
In yon lone isle, .... again where ne'er 
Shall harper play, or warrior hear ! . . . 

* [MS.—" O ! how unlike her course on main ! 

Or his free step on hill and plain,"] 
i [MS.— "Shall never harp of minstrel tell. 

Of combat fought so fierce and w.ell."J 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 247 

That stirring air that peals on high, 
O'er Dermid's race our victory. — 
Strike it !*---and then, (for well thou canst,) 
Free from thy minstrel-spirit glanced, 

• There are several instances, at least in tradition; 
of persons so much attached to particular tunes, as 
to require to hear them on their deathbed. Such an 
anecdote is mentioned l)y the late Mr. Riddel of 
Glenriddei, in his collection of Border tunes, respect- 
ing an air called the *• Dandling of the Bairns," for 
which a certain Gallovidian laird is said to have 
evinced this strong mark of partiality. It is popu- 
larly told of a famous freebooter, that he composed 
the tune known by ihe name of Macpheison's Rant 
while under sentence of death, and played it at the 
gallows-tree. Some spirited words have been adapt- 
ed to it by Burns. A similar story is recounted of a 
Welsh bard who composed and played on his death- 
bed the air called Dafyddy Qarregg IVen. But the 
most curious example is g^iven by Brantome.of a 
maid of honor at the court of France, entitled, Made- 
moiselle de Limeuil. ' Diirant sa maladie, dont elle 
trespassa, jamais, elle ne ■^essa,:(ins causa tousjours; 
car elle estoit f irt grande parleuse, brocardeuse, et 
tresbien et fort apropos. ettres belle aveccela. Quand 
I'lieure de sa tin fui venue, elle tit venir a soy son va- 
let, (ainsi que le fiiles de la cour en onl chacune 
un.) quis'appeloit Julien, et scavoit tres-bieii jouer 
du violon. ' Julien,' luy dit elle. 'prenez vostre vio- 
lon et soniiez moy tousjours, jusques ace que me 
voyez mortelcarje m'y en vais) la defaite des Suis- 
Bes,et le mieux que vous poiirrez et quand vou.s serez 
Bur le mot.' 'Tout est perdu.' sonnez le par quatre, 
ou cinq fois.le plus piteusement que vous pourez,' ce 
qui fit I'autre, et elle-mesme luy aidoit de la voix, et 
quand ce vint 'tout est perdu,' elle reitera par deux 
fois ; et se tournant de Tautre coste du chevet, elle 
dit a ses compagnes— • Tout est perdu a coup, et a 
bon escient;' et ansi dectida. Voila una morte joy- 
cuse et plaisante. Je tiens ce conte de deux de se8 
compagnes, dignes de foi; qui virent jouer ce myB~ 



248 THE LADT OF THE LAKE. 

Fling me the picture of the fight, 
When met my clan the Saxon might. 
I'll listen, till my fancy hears 
The clang of swords, the crash of spears. 
These grates, these walls, shall vanish then, 
For the fair field of fighting men 
And my free spirit burst away, 
As if it soar'd from battle-fray." 
The trembling Bard with awe obey'd,-— 
Slow on the harp his hand he laid ; 
But soon remembrance of the sight 
He witnessed from the mountain's height, 
With what old Bertram told at night,* 
Awakened the full power of song; 
And bore him in career along ; — 
As shallop launched on river's tide, 
That slow and fearful leaves the side, 
But, when it feels the middle stream, 
Drives downward swift as lightning's beant.. 
XV. 

BATTLE OF BEAL' AND DUINE.t 

** The Minstrel came once more to view 
The eastern ridge of Benvenue, 

\eTe."—Oeuvres de Brantome, Hi. 507. The tune to 
which this fair lady chose to make her final exit, 
was composed on the defeat of the Swiss at Ma- 
rignano. The burden is quoted by Panurge, in Ra- 
belais, and consists of these words, imitating the 
jargon of the Swiss, which is a mixture of French 
and German: 

*' Tout est velore 
La Tintelore, 
Tout est vorlore, bi Got!" 
• [The MS. has not this line.] 
t A skirmish actually took place at a pass thus 
called in the Trosachs, and closed with the rexnarka- 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 249 

For ere he parted, he would say 
Farewell to lovely Loch Achray-— 

ble incident mentioned in the text. It was greatly 
posterior in date to the reign of James V. 

"In this roughly-wooded Isl;ind, * the country 
people secreted their wives and children, and their 
most valuable effects from the rapacity of Crom- 
well's soldiers, during their inroad into this country, 
in the time of the republic. These invaders, not ven- 
turing to ascend by the ladders, along the side of the 
lake, took a more circuitous road through the heart of 
the Trosachs, the most frequented path at that time, 
which penetrates the wilderness about half way be- 
tween Binean and the lake, by a tract called Yea- 
chilleach, or the Old Wife's Bog. 

"In one of the detiles of this by-road, the men of 
the country at that time hung upon the rear of the in- 
vading enemy, and shot one of Cromwell's mer.i 
whose grave marks the scene of aciion, and gives 
name to that passt In revenge of this insult the 
soldiers resolved to plunder the island, violate the 
women and put the children to death. With this bru- 
tal intention, one of the party, more expert than the 
rest, swam towards the island, to fetch the boat to 
his comrades, which had carried the women to their 
asylum and lay moored in one of the creeks. His 
companions stood on the shore of the mainland, in 
full view of all that was to pass, wailing anxiously 
for his return with the boat. But just as the swim- 
mer had got to the nearest point of the island, and 
was laying hold of a black rock, to get on shore, a 
heroine, who stood on the very point where he 
meant to land, hastily snatching a dagger from be- 
low her apron, with one stroke severed his head 
from the body. His party seeing this disaster, and 
relinquishing all future hope of revenge or con- 
quest, made the best of their way out of their peril- 
ous situation. This amazon's great grandson lives 

• That at the eutern extreuiity of Loch Katrine, so often mentioned 
la the text. 
t Be»llach ui duine. 



250 THB LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Where shall we find in foreign land, 
So lone a lake, so sweet a strand ! 
There is no breeze upon the fern, 

No ripple on the lake, 
Upon her eyry nods the erne, 

The deer has sought the brake ; 
The small birds will not sing aloud, 

The springing trout lies still, 
So darkly glooms yon thunder-cloud, 
That swathes, as with a purple shroud, 

Benledi's distant hill. 
Is it the thunder's solemn sound 
That mutters deep and dread. 
Or echoes from the groaning ground 

The warrior's measured tread ? 
Is it the lightning's quivering glanca 

That on the thicket streams, 
'Or do they flash on spear and lance 
The sun's retiring beams ? 
— I see the dagger crest of Mar, 
I see the Moray's silver star, 
Wave o'er the cloud of Saxon war. 
That up the lake comes winding far ! 
To hero bound for battle-strife, 

Or bard of martial lay, 
'Twere worth ten years of peaceful life, 
One glance at their array ! 

XVI. 

" Their light-armed archers far and near 
Survey'd the tangled ground, 

at Bridge of Turk, who besides others; attests th« 
anecdote." — Sketch of the Scenery near Callendtr, 
Stirling, 1806, p. 20. I have only to add to this ac- 
count, thai the heroine's name was Ellen Stuart. 



THB LADY OF THE LAKE. 251 

Their centre ranks, with pike and spear, 

A twilight forest frown'd, 
Their barbed horsemen, in the rear 

The stern battalia crown'd. 
No cymbal clashed, no clarion rang, 

Still were the pipe and drum ; 
Save heavy tread, and armour's clang, 

The sullen march was dumb. 
There breathed no ^/ind their crests to shake, 

Or wave their flags abroad ; 
Scarce the frail aspen seemed to quake. 

That shadow'd o'er iheir road. 
Their vanward scouts no tidings bring, 

Can rouse no lurking foe, 
Nor spy a trace of living thing. 

Save when they stirr'd the roe ; 
The host moves, like a deep sea-wave, 
Where rise no rocks its pride to brave, 
High-swelling, dark, and slow. 
The lake is pass'd, and now they gain 
A narrow and a broken plain. 
Before the Trosach's rugged jawa; 
And here the horse and spearmen pause, 
While, to explore the dangerous glen, 
Dive through the pass the archer-men. 

XVIL 

" At once there rose so wild a yell 

Within that dark and narrow dell, 

As all the fiends, from heaven that fell, 

Had peaPd the banner-cry of hell ! 
Forth from the pass in tumult driven. 
Like chaff before the wind of heaven. 

The archery appear : 
For life ! for life their flight they ply, 
And shriek, and shout, and battle-cry. 



2^2 THE LADY OF THE LAKR. 

And plaids and bonnets waving high, 
And broadswords flashing to the sky. 

Are maddening in the rear. 
Onward ihey drive, in dreadful race, 

Pursuers and pursued : 
Before that tide of flight and chase, 
How shall it keep its rooted place. 
The spearmen's twilight wooq ? 
'Down, down,' cried Mar, 'your lancet 
down! 
Bear back both friend and foe !' 
Like reeds before the tempest's frown, 
That serried grove of lances brown 
At once lay levell'd low ; 
And closely shouldering side to side, 
The bristling ranks the onset bide. — * 
* We'll quell the savage mountaineer, 
As their Tinchelt cows the game ! 
They come as fleet as forest deer, 
We'll drive them back as tame.'— 
XVIII. 
'• Bearing before them, in their course, 
The relics of the archer force, 
Like wave with crest of sparkling foam, 
Right onward did Clan- Alpine come. 
Above the tide, each broadsword bright 
Was brandishing like beam of light, 

Each targe was dark below ; 
And with the ocean's mighty swing, 
When heaving to the tempest's wing, 

They hurl'd them on the foe. 
* [The MS. has not this couplet.] 
t A circle of sportsmen, who, surrounding a great 
space, and gradually narrowing, brought immenge 
quantities of deer together, which usually made des- 
perate efforts to break tbrougb the Tinchel. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 253 

I heard the lance's shivering crash, 
As when the whirlwind rends the ash ; 
I heard the broadsword's deadly clang, 
As. if a hundred anvils rang ! 
But Moray wheel'd his rearward rank 
Of horsemen on Clan- Alpine's flank, 
— ' IVIy banner-man advance ! 
I see,' he cried, ' their column shake- 
Now, gallants ! for your ladies' sake, 
Upon them with the lance !' — 
The horsemen dash'd among the rout, 

As deer break through the broom ; 
Their steeds are stout, their swords are out, 
They soon make lightsome room. 
Clan Alpine's best are backward borne— 

Where, where was Roderick then ! 
One blast upon his bugle-horn 

Were worth a thousand men. 
And refluent through the pass of fear * 

The battle's tide was pour'd , 
Vanished the Saxon's struggling spear, 

Vanished the mountain sword. 
As Bracklinn's chasm, so black and steep, 

Receives her roaring linn, 
As the dark caverns of the deep 
Suck the wild whirlpool in, 
So did the deep and darksome pass 
Devour the battle's mingled mass : 
None linger now upon the plain. 
Save those who ne'er shall fight again. 



(MS.—" And refleunt down the darksome pass 
The battle's tide was pour'd; 
There toil'd the spearman's struggling 
speari 
There raged the mountain sword.") 



854 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

XIX. 

" Now westward rolls the battle's din, 
That deep and doubling pass within. 
— Minstrel, away ! the work of fate* 
Is bearing on : its issue wait, 
Where the rude Trosach's dread defile 
Opens on Katrine's lake and isle. — 
Gray Benvenue I soon repassed, 
Loch Katrine lay beneath me cast. 
The sun is set ,• — the clouds are met, 

The lowering scowl of heaven 
An inky hue of livid blue 
To the deep lake has given ; 
Strange gusts of wind from mountain glen 
Swept o'er the lake, then sunk agen. 
T heeded not the eddying surge, 
Mine eye but saw the Trosach's gorge, 
Mine ear but heard the sullen sound, 
Which like an earthquake shook the ground. 
And spoke the stern and desperate strife 
That parts not but with parting life.f ,. 
Seeming, to minstrel-ear, to toll + <■' 
The dirge of many a passing soul. 
Nearer it comes — the dim-wood glen 
The martial flood disgorged agen, 

But not in mingled tide ; 
The plaided warriors of the North 
High on the mountain thunder forth 
And overhang its side ; 

* (MS.—" Away ! away I the work of fate !") 

f [ "the loveliness in death 

That parts not quite with parting breath."] 

Byron's Giaour. 
X CMS.—'* And seem'd. to minstrel ear, to toll 
The parting dirge of many a soul.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 255 

While by the lake below appears 
The dark'ning cloud of Saxon spears.* 
At weary bay each shatter'd band, 
Eyeing their foeman, sternly stand ; 
Their banners stream like tatter'd sail, 
That flings its fragments to the gale, 
And broken arms and disarray 
Mark'd the fell havoc of the day, 

XX. 

" Viewing the mountain's ridge askance, 
The Saxon stood in sullen trance, 
Till Moray pointed with his lance, 

And cried — ' Behold yon isle ! — 
See, none are left to guard its strand, 
But women weak, that wring the hand: 
'Tis there of yore the robber band 

Their booty wont to pile ;— 
My purse, with bonnet-pieces store, 
To him will swim a bow-shot o'er, 
And loose a shallop from the shore. 
Lightly we'll tame the war-wolf then. 
Lords of his mate, and brood and den' 
Forth from the ranks a spearman sprung. 
On earth his casque and corslet rung, 

He plunged him in the waver- 
All saw the deed— the purpose knew, 
And to their clamours Benvenue 

A mingled echo gave ; 
The Saxons shout, their mate to cheer. 
The helpless females scream for fear, 
And yells for rage the mountaineer. 
'Twas then, as by the outcry riven, 
Pour'd down at once the lowering heaven ; 
•[MS.— "While by the darken'd lake below. 
File out the spearmen of the foe."j 



256 THtt LADY OF THE LAKE. 

A whirlwind swept Loch Katrine's breast, 

Her billows rear'd their snowy crest. 

Well for the swimmer swell'd they high, 

To mar the Highland marksmen's eye ; 

For round him shower'd mid rain and hail, 

The vengeful arrows of the Gael.— 

In vain.— He nears the isle — and lo ! 

His hand is on a shallop's bow, 

—Just then a flash of lightning came, 

It tinged the waves and strand with flame ;— * 

I mark'd Duncraggan's widow'd dame, 

Behind an oak I saw her stand, 

A naked dirk gleam'd in her hand :— 

It darkened, — but amid the moan 

Of waves I heard a dying groan ; — 

Another flash !— the spearman floats 

A weltering corse beside the boats, 

And the stern Matron o'er him stood, 

Her hand and dagger streaming blood. 

XXI. 

•' ' Revenge ! revenge !' the Saxons cried, 
The Gaels' exulting shout replied. 
Despite the elemental rage, 
Again they hurried to engage ; 
But, ere they closed in desperate fight. 
Bloody with spurring came a knight, 
Sprung from his horse, and, from a crag, 
Waved 'twixt the hosts a milk-white flag. 
Clarion and trumpet by his side 
Rung forth a truce-note high and wide, 

•IThe MS. reads:— 

"It tinged the boats and lake with flame." 
The eight closing lines of the stanza are interpola* 
ted on a slip of paper.] 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 257 

While, in the Monarch's name, afar 
A herald's voice forbade the war, 
For Bolhwell's lord, and Roderick bold. 
Were both, he said, in captive hold.'' 
— But here the lay made sudden stand, 
The harp escaped the MiustreTs hand ! — 
Oft had he stolen a glance to spy 
How Roderick brook'd his minstrelsy : 
At first, the Chieftain, to the chime, 
With lifted hand, kept feeble time ; 
That motion ceased, — yet feeling strong 
Varied his look as changed the song ;* 
At length, no more his deafen'd ear 
The minstrel melody can hear ; 
His face grows sharp — his hands are clench'd, 
As if some pang his heart-strings wrench'd; 
Set are his teeth, his fading eyeT 
Is sternly fixed on vacancy ; 
Thus, motionless, and moanless, drew 
His parting breath, stout Roderick Dhu ! — t 
♦ [MS. — "Glow'd in liis look, as swell"d the song."] 
,,HS. "hi-{t,Vr}eye..., 

X[" Rob Roy, while on his deuilibed, learned that 
a person, with whom he was at enmity, proposed lo 
TJsit hitn. 'Raise me from my bed,' said the invalid; 
•throw my plaid around me, and bring me my clay- 
more, dirk, and pisiols,--ii shall never be sa d that 
a foeman saw Rob Roy MacGregor defenceless and 
unarmed.' His foetnan, conjectured lo be one of the 
MacLarens before and after mentioned, entered and 
paid his compliments, inquiring after the health of 
his formidable neighbour. Rob Roy maintained a cold 
haughty civility during their short conf-r>;nce; and 
BO soon as he had left the house, ' Now.' be said, • ail 
is over- -let the piper play. Ha til mi tulidh,' [we re- 
turn no more,] and he is said to have expired before 
the dirge was finished. "--//i/.rodMci»o« to Rob Roy. 
Waverley JSTuvels, vol. ji. p. 3] 

17 W 



258 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Old Allan-bane look'd on aghast, 
While grim and still his spirit pass'd ; 
But when he saw that life was fled, 
He pour'd his wailing o'er the dead. 

XXII. 



"And art thou cold and lowly laid,* 
Thy foeman's dread, thy people's aid, 
Breadalbane's boast, Clan- Alpine's shade ! 
For thee shall none a requiem say ? 
— For thee, — who loved the minstrel's lay. 
For thee, of Bothwell's house the slay, 
The shelter of her exiled line.t 
E'en in this prison-house of thine, 
I'll wail for Alpine's honour'd Pine \ 

** What groans shall yonder valleys fill ! 
What shrieks of grief shall rend yon hill 5 
What tears of burning rage shall thrill. 
When mourns thy tribe thy battles done, 
Thy fall before the race was won, 
Thy sword ungirt ere set of sun ! 
There breathes not clansman of thy line, 
But would have given his life for thine.— 
O wo for Alpine's honour'd Pine ! 

♦* Sad was thy lot on mortal stage !— 
The captive thrush may brook, the cage, 
The prison'd eagle dies for rage. 
Brave spirit, do not scorn my strain ! 
And, when its notes awake again, 
Even she, so long beloved in vain, 

* ^MS.-«' 'And art thou gone,' the Minstre! said.*') 
[r MS.—" The Hiighiiest of a mighty line."] 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 259 

Shall with my harp her voice combine, 
And mix her wo and tears with mine, 
To wail Clan-Alpine's honoured Pine." 

XXIII. 
Ellen the while, with bursting heart, 
Remained in lordly bower apart, 
Where play'd, with many coloured gleams, 
Through storied pane the rising beams. 
In vain on gilded roof they fall. 
And lighten'd up a tapestried wall, 
And for her use a menial train 
A rich collation spread in vain. 
The banquet proud, the chamber gay,* 
Scarce drew one curious glance astray ; 
Or, if she look. 'd, 'twas but to say, 
With better omen dawn'd the day 
In that lone isle, where waved on high 
The dun-deer's hide for canopy : 
Where oft her noble father shared 
The simple meal her care prepared, 
While Lufra, crouching by her side. 
Her station claim'd with jealous pride, 
And Douglas, bent on woodland game,t 
Spoke of the chase to Malcom Graeme, 
Whose answer, oft at random made, 
The wandering of his thoughts betray'd. — 
Those who such simple joys have known. 
Are taught to prize them when they're gone. 
But sudden, see, she lifts her head ! 
The window seeks with cautious tread. 
What distant music has the power 
To win her in this woful hour ! 

[* MS." "The banquet gay, the chamber's pride. 
Scarce drew one curious glance asidti."] 
tfMS. "earnest on his game. "J 



260 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Twas from a turret that o'erhung 

Her latticed bower, the strain was sung. 

XXIV. 

LAY OF THE IMPRISONED HUNTSMAN. 

" My hawk is tired of perch and hood, 

My idle greyhound loaths his food, 

My horse is weary of his stall, 

And I am sick of captive thrall. 

I wish I were as I have been, 

Hunting the hart in forest green, 

With bended bow and bloodhound free, 

For that's the life is meet for me.* 

I hate to learn the ebb of time, 

From yon duUt steeple's drowsy chime, 

Or mark it as the sunbeams crawl. 

Inch after inch, along the wall. 

The lark was wont my matins ring,! 

The sable rook my vespers sing ; 

These towers, although a king's they be, 

Have not a hall of joy for me.^ 

'^ No more at dawning morn I rise, 
And sun myself in Ellen's eyes, 
Drive the fleet deer the forest through, 
And homeward wend with evening dew : 
A blithesome welcome blithely meet, 
And lay my trophies at her feet, 
While fled the eve on wing of glee, — 
That life is lost to love and me !" 

* [MS. " was meant for me."] 

f [MS.--" From darken'd steeple's."! 

t (MS.— "The lively lark my matins rung. 

The sable rook my vespers sung.") 
$ (MS.—" Have not a hall should harbour me.") 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 261 
XXV. 

The heart-sick lay was hardly said. 

The Hst'ner had not turn'd her head, 

It trickled still the starting tear, 

When light a footstep struck her ear, 

And Snowdoun's graceful Knight wjis near. 

She turn'd the hastier, lest again 

The prisoner should renew his strain. 

'* O welcome, brave Fitz- James !" she said ; 

*' How may an almost orphan maid 

Pay the deep debt" " O say not so! 

To me no gratitude you owe. 

Not mine, alas! the boon to give, 

And bid thy noble father live ; 

1 can but be thy guide, sweet maid, 

With Scotland's King thy suit to aid. 

No tyrant he, though ire and pride 

May lay his better mood aside. 

Come, Ellen, come !— ' tis more than time, 

He holds his court at morning prime.'' 

With beating heart, and bosom wrung, 

As to a brother's arm she clung. 

Gently he dried the falling tear, 

Andgemly whisper'd hope and cheer; 

Her faltering steps half led, half staid, 

Through gallery fair and high arcade, 

Till, at his touch, its wings of pride 

A portal arch unfolded wide. 

XXVI. 

Within 'twas brilliant all and light,* 
A thronging scene of figures bright ; 
Itglow'd on Ellen's dazzled sight, 

•(MS.— "Within 'twas brilliant aU and bright, 
The vision glow'd on Ellen's siglit.") 



262 THE LADY OT THE LAKE. 

As when the setting sun has given 

Ten thousand hues to summer even, 

And from their tissue, lancy frames 

Aerial knisfhts and fairy dames. 

Still by Fitz- James her footing staid; 

A few faint steps she forward made, 

Then slow her drooping head she raised, 

And fearful round the presence gazed ; 

P'or him she sought, who own'd this state,* 

The dreaded prince whose will was fate ! 

She gazed on many a princely port, 

Might well have ruled a royal court ; 

On many a splendid garb she gazed,— 

Then turn'd bewilder'd and amazed, 

For all stood bare ; and, in the room 

Fitz-James alone wore cap and plume. 

To him each lady's look was lent : 

On him each courtier's eye was bent; 

Midst furs and silks and jewels sheen, 

He stood in simple Lincoln green, 

The centre of the glittering ring,— 

And Snowdoun's Knight is Scotland's King It 

* (MS.--" For him who own'd this royal state.'^ 
fThis discovery will probably remind the reader of 
the beautiful Arabian tale of It Bondocani. Yet the 
incid^'ut is not borrowed from that elegant story, hut 
from Scottish tradition. James V., of whom we are 
freatinc;, was a monarch whose good and benevolent 
iuieiitions often rendered his romantic freaks venial, 
if not respectable, since, from liis anxious attention 
to the interests of the lower and most oppressed 
class of his subjects, he was, as we have seen, 
popularly termed King of the Commons. For th& 
purpose fif seeing that justice w:ts rejjularly admin- 
istered, and frequently from the less justifiable mo- 
tive of gallantry', be used to traverse the vicinage Of 
his several palaces in various disguises. The two «x- 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 263 

XXVII. 

As wreath of snow, on mountain- breast, 
Slides from the rock that gave it rest, 

cellent comic songs, entitled "The Galierlnnzie Man," 
and "We'll jjae nae mair a rovin?, " are said lo have 
been founded upon the success of his ainotous ad- 
X'enlures when travelling in the disguise of a beg- 
gar. The latter is perhaps the best comic ballad 
in any lancua^e. 

Another adventure, which had nearly cost James 
his life, is s:iid 'o have taken place at the village of 
Craniond, near Edinburg. where he had rendered his 
addresses acceptable to a pretty airl of the lower 
rank. Four or five persons, whether rention-: or lovers 
of his mistress is iinrertain, beset the disguised mon- 
arch, as he ri-turned from his rendezvous. Naturally 
gallant, and an adtnirnble mnster of his weapon, the 
king took post on the hiyh and narrow bridge 
over the Almond river, and defended himself bravely 
with his sword. A peasant, who was threshing in 
a neifrbhonririg hani, came out upon the noise, and 
whether movt-d by compassion or hy natural gallant- 
ry, took the weaker side, and laid ahout with his 
flail so effer liially, as to di.«perse the assailants, well 
threshed, even according to the letter. lie tlien con- 
ducted the king info his barn, where his guest re- 
quested a basin and a towel, to remove the stains of 
the broil. Thi< being procured with difficulty. Jamea 
employed himself in learning what was the summit 
of his deliverer's earthly wishes, and found tliat they 
were bounded by the desire of possessing, in properly, 
tlie farm of Braehead, upon which he labored as a 
bondsman. The lands chanced to belong to the crown, 
and James directed him to come to the palace of 
Holyrood, and inquire for the Gudeman (i. e. farmer) 
of Ballenguich, a name by whieh he was known in 
his excursions, and which answered to the // Bondo- 
eani of Ifaroun Alraschid. He presented himself ac- 
cordingly, and found, with due ast.nnishujent, that he 
had saved his monarch's life, and that he was to be 
gratified witti a crown charter of the lands of Brae* 



264 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Poor Ellen glided from her stay,* 
And at the Monarch's feet she lay ; 

head, under the service of presenting a ewer, basin, 
and towel, for the king to wash his liands, when he 
shall happen to piss ilie Bridae of CianKind. This 
person was ancestor of the llowissons of Braehead, 
in Miu-Loihiun, a respectable family, who coiilinue to 
hold the Lands (now passed into the female line) un- 
der the same tenure.* 

Another of James's frolics is thus narrated by Mr. 
Campbell, from the Statistical Account : -'Being once 
benighted when out a-hunting. and separated from 
his attendants, he happened to enter a cottage in the 
midst of a moor, at the foot of Ochil hills,'near Alloa, 
where, unknown, he was kindly received. In order 
to regale tht-ir unexpected guest, the gudeman (t. e. 
landlord, fanner) desired the gudewifeloi^ich the hen 
thai roosted nearest the cock, which is always the 
plumpest, for the stranger's supper. The king, high- 
ly pleased with his night's lodging and hospitable 
entertainment, told mine host, at parting, that he 
should be glad to return his civility, and ri.quested 
that the first time he came to Stirling he would call 
at the castle, and ii quire for the Oudeman of Ballen- 
ffuic/i. Donaldson, the landlord, did not fail to call on 
the Gudeman of Balleiiifuiclt, when his astonishment 
at finding that tiie king had been his guest afforded 
no small anuisement to the merry monarch and his 
courtiers : and to carry on the pleasantry, he was 
thenceforth designated by James with the title of 
King of the Moors, which name and designation have 
descended from father to son ever since, and they 
have continued in possession of the identical spot, 
the property of Mr. Erskine of Mar, till very lately, 
when this gentleman, with reluctance, turned out the 

* [The reader will find this story told at greater length, and with the 
addition in particular of the king being recognized, like the Fitz-Jamea 
of the Lady of the Lake, bv being the only person covered, in the Fir»t 
Series of I ales of a Grandfather, vol. iii. p. 37. The heir of Braehead 
ditcharged bis duty at the banquet given to King George IV. in Uie Par* 
liantent House at i^diuburgh, in 1822— £d.] 
* See note on page 266. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 265 

No word her choking voice commands, — 
She show'd ihe ring — she clasp'd her hands, 

descendant and representative of the King of the 
Moors, on account of his m.ijestys invincible indo- 
lence, and great dislike to n-forin or innovation of 
any kind, although, from the spirited example of his 
neighhor tenants on the same estate, he is convinced 
similar exertion would promote his advantage'' 

The author requests permission yet farther to ver- 
ify the subject of his poem, by an extract from the 
genealogical work of Buchanan of Auchmar, upon 
Scottish surnames. 

"This Juhn Buchanan of Auchmar and Arnpryor 
was aiterwards termed King of Kippen,* upon the 
following account : King James V., a very sociable 
debonair prnce, residing at Stirling, in Buchanan of 
Arnpryor's time, carriers were very frequently pass- 
ing along the common road, being near Arnpryor's 
house, with necessaries for the use of the king's 
family ; and ht*, having some extraordin;;ry occasion, 
ordered one of these carriers to leave liis load at his 
house, and he would pay him for it ; which the car- 
rier refused to do, telling him he was the king's car- 
rier, and his load for his majesty's use; to which 
Arnpryor seemed to have small regard, compelling 
the carrier, in the end. to leave his load ; telling him 
if King James was King of Scotland, he was King of 
Kippen, so that it was reasonable he should share 
with his neijjhbor king in some of these loads, so fre- 
quently carried that road. The carrier representing 
this usage, and ttlling the story, as Arnpryor spoke it, 
to some of the king's servants, it came at length to his 
majesty's ears, who, shortly thereafter, with a few 
attendants, came to visit his neighbor king, who was 
in the meantime at dinner. King James having sent 
a servant to demand access, was denied the same by 
a tall fellow with a battle-axe, who stood porter at 
the gate, telling, there could be no access till dinner 
was over. This answer not satisfying the king, he 
sent to demand access a second time; upon whicb 
* A small district in Perthshire. 

X 



266 THE LADY OF THE LAER. 

O ! not a moment could he brook, 

The generous prince, that suppliant look ! 

Gently he raised her, — and, the while, 

Check'd with a glance the circle's smile : 

Graceful, but grave, her brow he kiss'd, 

And bade her terrors be dismiss'd ; — 

*' Yes, Fair ; the wandering poor Fitz-JameB 

The fealty of Scotland claims. 

To him thy woes, thy wishes, bring ; 

He will redeem his signet ring. 

Ask naught for Douglas : — yester even, 

His prince and he have much forgiven ; 

Wrong hath he had from slanderous tongue, 

I, from his rebel kinsman, wrong. 

We would not to the vulgar crowd 

Yield what they craved with clamor loud : 

he was desired by the porter to desist, otherwise he 
would find cause to repent his rudeness. His majesty 
finding ttiis method would not do, desired the [mrter 
to tell his masttr that the Goodman of Ballageich de- 
sired to speak with the King of Kippen. The porter 
telling Arnpiyor so much, he, in all humble manner, 
came and received the kingr, and having entertained 
him with much sumptuousness and jollity, became so 
agreeable to King James, that he allowed him lo take 
BO much of any provision he found carrying that road 
as he had occasion for ; and seeing he made the first 
visit, desired Arnpryor in a few days to return him a 
Becoiid to Stirling, which he performed, and contin- 
ued in very much favor with the king, always there- 
after being termed King of Kippen while he lived." 
— Buchanan's Essay upon the Family of Buchanan, 
Edin. 1775, 8vo. p. 74. 

The readers of Ariosto must give credit for the amia- 
ble features with which he is represented, since he 
iR generally consideri d as the prototype of Zerhino, 
the most interestinc hero of the Orlando Furioso. 
t IMS. " shrinking quits her slay."] 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 267 

Calmly we heard and judged his cause, 
Our council aided, and our laws. 
I stanch'd thy father's death-feud stern, 
With stout De Vaux and Grey Glencairn ; 
And Bothwell's Lord henceforth we own 
The friend and bulwark of our Throne.— 
But, lovely infidel, how now? 
What clouds thy misbelieving brow ? 
Lord James of Douglas, lend thine aid ; 
Thou must confirm this doubling maid." 

XXVTIL 
Then forth the noble Douglas sprung, 
And on his neck his daughter hung. 
The Monarch drank, that happy hour, 
The sweetest, holiest draught of Power,— 
When it can say, with godlike voice, 
Arise, sad Virtue, and rejoice ! 
Yet would not James the general eye 
On Nature's raptures long should pry ; 
He stepp'd between — " Nay, Douglas, nay, 
Steal not my proselyte away ! 
The riddle 'tis my right to read, 
That brought this happy chance to speed. 
Yes. Ellen, when disguis'd I stray 
In life's more low but happier way,* 
'Tis under name which veils my power. 
Nor falsely veils — for Stirling's tower 
Of yore the name of Snowdoun claims, t 
And Normans call me James Fitz- James. 
* [M8. — " In lowly life's more happy way."] 
t William of Worcesier, who wrote about the mid- 
dle of the fifteenth conturv. calls Stirling Castle 
Snowdoun. Sir David Lindsay bestows ihe same 
epithet upon it in his Complaint of the Papingo: 
" Adieu, fair Snawdoun. with thy towers high. 
Thy chaple-royal, park, and table round; 



268 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Thus watch I o'er insulted laws, 

Thus learn to right the injured cause."-— 

Then in a tone apart and low, 

— " Ah, little traii'ress ! none nnust know 

What idle dream, what lighter thought, 

What vanity full dearly bought, 

Join'd to thine eye's dark witchcraft, drew 

My spell bound steps to Benvenue,* 

In dangerous hour, and all but gave 

Thy Monarch's life to mountain glaive!" 

Aloud he spoke — " Thou still dost hold 

That little talisman of gold, 

May, June, and July, would I dwell in thee, 
Were I a man, to hear ihe birdis sound, 
Wliilk doih againe ihy royal rock rebound." 

Mr. Chalmers, in his excellent edition of Sir David 
Lind-^ay's works, has refuted ihe chimerical deriva- 
tion of Snawdoun from tinedding; or cuuing. It was 
probably derived from the romantic legend which 
connected Stirling witli King Artiiur, lo which the 
mention of the Round Table gives countenance. 
The ring within which justs were formerly prac- 
tised, in the castle park, instill called the Round Ta- 
ble. Snawdoun is tlie official title of one of the Scot- 
tish heralds, whose epithets seem in all countries to 
have been fantastically adopted from ancient biatory 
or romance. 

It appears ISee Note* page 216] that the real name 
by which James was actually distinguished in his 
private excursions, was the Gudeman of BaUenguich* 
derived from a steep pass leading up to the Castle of 
Stirling, so called. But the epithet would not have 
suited poetry, and would besides at once, and pre- 
maturely, have announced the plot lo many of my 
countrymen, among whom the traditional stories 
above mentioned are still current. 

*[MS.--"Thy sovereign back ) Rpnvenue *'J 
Thy sovereign's steps \ ^° benvenue. J 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 269 

Pledge of my faith, Fitz- James's ring*— 
What seeks fair Ellen of the King ?" 

XXIX. 

Full well the conscious maiden guess'd, 

He probed the weakness of her breast ; 

But with that consciousness, there came 

A lightening of her fears for Graeme, 

Andt more she deem'd the Monarch's ire 

Kindled 'gainst him, who, for her sire, 

Rebellious broadsword boldly drew ; 

And, to her generous feeling true, 

She craved the grace of Roderick Dhu.- 

*• Forbear thy suit ; — the King of Kings 

Alone can stay life's parting wings : 

I know his heart, I know his hand. 

Have shared his cheer, and proved his brand :•- 

My fairest earldom would 1 give 

To bid Clan-Alpine's Chiefiain live ! — 

Hast thou no other boon to crave ? 

No other captive friend to save ?" 

Blushing, she turned her from the King, 

And to the Douglas gave the ring, 

As if she wish'd her sire to speak 

The suit that stain'd her glowing cheek. — 

*' Nay, then, my pledge has lost its force, 

And stubborn justice holds her course. — 

Malcom, come forth !"---And, at the word, 

Down kneel'd the Graemet to Scotland's Lord. 

* ^MS.— " Pledge of Filz-Jamess faith, the ring." 
ti.MS.— ''And in her breast strove maiden shame; 
More deep she deemed the Monarch's ire 
Kindled 'gajnsi him, wlio, for her sire, 
Against his Sovereign broadsword drew; 
And, with a pieadng. warm and true 
She craved the grace of Roderick Dhu.") 
t "Malcom Graeme has too insigniflcaiit a part aa- 



270 THE LA.DY OF THE LAKE. 

" For thee, rash youth, no suppliant sues. 
From thee may Vengeance claim her dues. 
Who, nurtured underneath our smile, 
Hast paid our care by treacherous wile, 
And sought, amid thy faithful clan, 
A refuge for an outlaw'd man, 
Dishonoring thus thy loyal name.— 
Fetters and warder for the Graeme !" • 
His chain of gold the King unstrung. 
The links o'er Malcom's neck he flung, 
Then gently drew the glittering band, 
And laid the clasp on Ellen's hand.* 

eigned him. considering the favour in which he is 
held both by Ellen and the author ; and in bringing 
out the shaded and imperfect character of Roderick 
Dhu, as a contrast to the purer virtue of his rival, 
Mr. Scott seems to have fallen into the common er- 
ror of making him more interesting than him whose 
virtues he was intended to set off. and converted 
the villain of the piece in some measure into iis hern. 
A modern poet, however, may perhaps be pardoned 
for an error,of which Milton hini'^elf is thought not to 
have kept clear, and for which there seems so natural 
a cause in the difference between poetical and amia- 
ble characters."— Jeffrey.] 

* ( — " And now waiving myself, let me talk to you 
of the Prince Regent. He ordered me to be pre- 
sented to him at a ball ; and after some sayings pe- 
culiarly pleasing from royal lips as to my own at- 
tempts, he talked to me of you and your immortali- 
ties : he preferred you to every l>ard past and present, 
and asked which of your works pleased me most. 
It was a difficult que^^tion I answered, I thought the 
•Lay.' He said his own opinion was nearly similar. 
In speaking of the others, I told him that I thought 
you more particularly the poet of Princes, as they 
never appeared more fascinating than in 'Marmion' 
and the * Lady of the Lake.' He was pleased to co- 
incide, and to dwell on the description of ypur 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 271 

Harp of the North, farewell ! The hills grovr 

dark, 
On purple peaks a deeper shade descending; 
In twilight copse the glow-worm lights her spark, 
The deer, half seen, are to the covert wending, 
Resume thy wizard elm ! the fountain lending: 
And the wild breeze, thy wilder minstrelsy ; 
Thy numbers sweet with nature's vespers blend- 
ing, 
With distant echo from the fold and lea, 
And herd- boy's evening pipe, and hum of hous- 
ing bee. 

Yet, once again, farewell, thou Minstrel Harp! 

Yet, once again, forgive my feeble sway, 
And little reck I of the censure sharp 

May idly cavil at an idle lay. 
Much have lowed thy strains on life's long way, 

Through secret woes the world has never 
known; 
When on the weary night dawn'd wearier day, 

And bitterer was the grief devour'd alone. 
That I overlive such woes, Enchantress ! isthin^ 



Hark ! as my lingering footsteps slow retire, 
Some Spirit of the Air has waked thy string! 

*Tis now a seraph bold, with touch of fire, 
'Tis now the brush of Fairy's frolic wing. 

Receding now, the dying numbers ring 

James's as no less royal than poetical. He spoks 
alternately of Homer and yourself, and seemed well 
acquainted with both." iic.-- Letter from Lord Byron 
to Sir Walter Scott, July 6,1812. Bvbon's ZJ/e end 
fVoTks, vol. ii. p. 156.) 



272 THE LADF OF THE LAKE. 

Fainter and fainter down the rugged dell, 
And now the mountain breezes scarcely bring 

A wandering witch-note of the distant spell— 
And now, 'lis silent all !---Enchantress, fare 
thee well I* 

* ('* On a comparison of the merits of this poem 
with the two former productions of the same un- 
questioned genius, we are inclined to bestow on it 
a very decided preference over both. It would per- 
haps be difficult lo select any one passage of such 
genuine inspiration, as one or two that might be point- 
ed out in the Lay of liie Lust Minstrel--a!:d.perlidps in 
strength and discrimination of character, it may 
fall short of Marmion, alihough we are loath to resign 
eiiher the rude and savage generosity of Roderick, 
the romantic chivalry of James, or the playful sim- 
plicity, the alTectionaie tenderness, the modest 
courage of Ellen Douglas, to the claims of any com- 
petitois in the last int-niioned poem. But fur interest 
and artificial man;ig^meiit in the story, for general 
ease and grace of versitication, and correctness of 
language, the Lady of the Lake must be universally 
allowed, we think, to excel, and very far excel, either 
of her predecessors." — Critical Review.) 

('• There is nothing in Mr. Scott, of the severe 
and majestic style of Millon--or of the terse and fine 
composition of Pope — or of the elaliorate ele- 
gance and melody of Campbell— or even of the flow- 
ing and redundant diction of Souihey,--hui there is a 
medley of bright images and glowing, set carelessly 
and loosely iogeilier--a diction tinged successively 
with the careless richness of fehakspeare. the harsh- 
ness and antique simplicity of the old romances, 
the homeliness of vulgar ballads and anecdotes, and 
the semimental glitter of the most modern poetry — 
passing from the borders of the ludicrous to ihose of 
the sublime, alternately minute and energetic— some- 
times artificial, and frequently negligei-t, but always 
full of spirit and vivacity- -abounding in images, that 
are striking at first sight to minds of every contex- 
ture-and never expressing a sentiment which it can 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 273 

cost the most ordinary reader any exertion to coir>- 
preheiid. Upon the whole, we are. inclined to think 
more highly of the Lady of the Lake than of either 
of its author's former publications. We are more 
sure. however, that it lias fewer faults, than that it bag 
greater beauties; and as its beauties bear a strong te- 
senibiance to those with which the public has been 
already made familiar in these celebrated works, 
we should not be surprised if its po(iularity were 
less splendid and remarka'jle. For our own parts, 
however, we are of opinion that it will be oftener 
read hereafter than t-iiher of them : and that if it 
had appeared tirsi in the series, theirreceptioii would 
have betn less favorable than that which it has ex- 
perienced. It is more polished in its diction, and 
more regular in its versification; the story is con- 
structed with infinitely niore skill and address: 
there is a greater proportion of pleasing and ten-' 
der passages, with much less antiquarian detail: and, 
upon the whole, a larger variety of characters, 
more artfully and judiciously contrasted There is 
nothing so fine, perhaps, as the baiile of Marmion-- 
or so picturesque as some of the scattered sketches 
in the Lay : but there is a richness and a spirit in the 
whole piece, which does not pervade either of these 
poems--a profusion of incident, and a shifting bril- 
liancy of coloring that reminds us of the witchery 
of Ario8to--and a constant elasticity, and occasion- 
al energy, which seem to belong more peculiarly 
to the author now before us."— jEFfKJiY.) 
18 



APPENDIX 



THE ELFIN GRAY. 

rHANSLATED PROM THE DANISH KjEMPK VISEB, p. 143^ 
AND FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1591. 



Der Ugger en void i Vester Hqf, 

Der agter en bartde at bygge ; 
Handforer did baade hog og hund, 

Og agter der otn vinteren at ligge. 

[DE VILDE DIUB og DIURENB UDl SKOFVEN.] 

1. 

There liggs a wold in Wester Haf, 

There a husbande means to bigg, 
And thither he carries baith hawlc and hound, 

There meaning the winter to ligg. 
[TVze wild deer and does i' the shaw otit.^ 

2. 
He taks wi' him baith hound and cock, 

The langer he means to stay, 
The wild deer in the shaws thai are 

May sairly rue the day. 
IThe wild deer, ^c.} 

3. 
He's hewed the beech, and he's felled the aik, 

Sae has he the poplar gray ; 
And grim in mood was the grewsome elf, 

That be sae bald he may. 

274 



APPENDIX. 275 

4. 
He hew'd him kipples, he hew'd him bawkSi 

Wi' rnickle moil and haste: 
Syne epeer'd the Elf i' the knock that bade, 

" Wha's hacking here sae fasi 7" 



Syne up and spak the weiest Elf, 

Creaa'd as an imnierl sma ; 
" It's here is come a Christian man ; — 

I'll fley him or he ga." 

6. 
It's up syne started the firsten Elf, 

And glower'd about sae grim ; 
" It's we'll awa to the husbande's house, 
And hald a court on him. 

7. 

" Here hews he down bailh skugg and shaw, 

And works us skaiih and scorn ; 
His huswife he sail gie to me ;— 
They's rue the day they were born !" 

8. 
The Elfen a' i' the knock that were, 

Gaed dancing in a string : 
They nighed near the husbande's house ; 
Sae lang their tails did hing. 
9. 
The hound he yowls i' the yard, 

The herd tools in his horn ; 
The earn scraichs, and the cock craws, 
As the husbande had gi'en him his corn.* 
• See note on next page. 



276 APPENDIX. 

10. 
TheElfen were five score and seven, 

Sae laidly and sae grim ; 
And they the husbande's guesta maim bOf 

To eat and drink wi' him. 

11. 

The husbande, out o' Villenshaw, 
At his winnock the Elves can see ; 

" Help me, now, Jesu, Mary's son ; 
Thir Elves they mfnt at me !" 

12. 
In every nook a cross he coost, 

In his chamber most ava ; 
The Elfen a' were fleyed thereat, 

And flew to the wild- wood shaw. 
13. 
And some flew east, and some flew west, 

And some to the norwart flew ; 
And some they flew to the deep dale down, 

There still they are I trow. t 

14. 
It was then the weiest Elf, 

In at the door braids he ; 
Agast was the husbande, for that Elf 

For cross nor sign wad flee, 

• Thi* iin^lar quatrain stands thus in the original ••— 
" Hunden hahd gior i gaardeo ; 

Hiorden tutle i sit horn ; 
(Ernen skriger, og hanen galer, 

Som bonden hafde gifvet sit korn," 

1 hi the Danish :— . , 

«' Somme flove ester, og somme floye Tester, 

Nngle floye nor paa ; 
Hogle floye ned i dybene dale. 

Jeg troer dc ere der endnu." 



APPENDIX. 2T7 

15. 
The huswife she was a canny wife, 

She set the Elf at the biard ; 
She set before him baiih ale and meat, 

Wi' mony a well waled word. 

16. 

" Hear thou, Gudeman o' Villenshaw, 

What now T say to thee; 
"Wha bade thee bigg within our bounds, 

Without the leave o' me ? 

17. 

" But, an thou in our bounds will bigg, 

And bide, as well may be, 
Then th u thy dearest huswife maun 

To me for a leniman gie." 

18. 
Up spak the luckless husbande then, 

As God the grace him gae ; 
" Eline she is to me sae dear, 

Her thou may nae-gate hae." 

19. 

Till the Elf he answered as he couth ; 

♦♦ Lat but my huswife be, 
And tak whate'er o' gude or gear, 

Is mine, awa wi' thee." 

20. 

" Then I'll thy Eline tak and thee, 

Aneath my feet to tread ; 
And hide thy goud and white monie 

Aneath my dwalling stead." 



278 APPENDIX. 

21. 

The husbande and his househald a' 

Insaryrede they join; 
" Far better thai she now be forfairn, 

Nor that we a' should tyne." 

22. 
Up, will of rede, the husbande stood, 

Wi' heart fu' sad and sair ; 
And he has gien his huswife Eline 

Wi' the young Elf to fare. 

23. 
Then blyth grew he, and sprang about ; 

He look her in his arm ; 
The rud it left her comely cheek ; 

Her heart was clem'd wi' harm. 

24. 

A waefu' woman then she was ane, 
And the moody tears let fa' ; 

" God rew on me, unseely wife, 
How hard a weird I fa'! 

25. 
" My fay I plight to the fairest wight 

That man on mold mat see ;— 
Maun I now mell wi' a laidly El, 

His light lemman to be V 

26. 
He minted ance — he minted twice, 

Wae wax'd her heart that syth ; 
Syne the ladliest fiend he grew that e'er 

To mortal ee did kyth. 



APPENDIX. 279 

♦ 27. 

When he the thirden time gan mint 

To Mary's son she pray'd, 

And the laidly Elf was clean awa, 

And a fair knight in his stead. 

28. 
This fell under a linden green, 

That again iiis shape he found ; 
O' wae and care was the word nae mair, 

A' were sae glad that stound. 

29. 

" O dearest Eline, hear thou this, 

And thju my wife sail be, 
And a' the goud in merry England 

Sae freely I'll gie thee ! 

30. 

♦ When I was but a little wee bairn, 

My milher died me fra ; 
My stepmiiher sent me away fra her; 

I turned till an Eifm Gray. 

31. 
" To thy husbande I a gift will gie, 

Wi' mickle slate and gear, 
As mends for Eline his huswife ; 

Thou's be my hearlis dear."— 

32. 
" Thou noble knyght, we thank now God 

That has freed us frae skailh ; 
Sae wed thou thee a maiden free, 

And joy attend ye bailh ! 



280 APPENDIX. 

33. 

"Sin I to thee nae maik can be 

My dochler may be thine ; 
And lily gud will right to fulfil, 

Lat this be our propine." — 

34. 

•' I thank thee, Eline, thou wise woman ; 

My praise thy worth sail ha'e ; 
And thy love gin I fail to win 

Thou here at hame sail slay." 

35. 

The husbande bigszit now on his oe, 

And nae ane wrought him wrang ; 
His dochter wore crown in Engeland, 
And happy lived and lang. 

36. 
Now Eline, the husbande's huswife, has 

Cour'd a' her grief and harms; 
She's mither to a noble queen 

That sleeps in a kingis arms. 



Lx?g, lie. 

St. 1. Wold, 3. wood; woody fast- Dacs, does. 

ness. 2. Shaw, wood, 

Htcsbande, from the Dan. /ios,with, Sairly, sorely. 

and bonde, a villeiii,or bondsman 3. Mk, oak. 

who was a cultivator of the Grewsome, terrible. 

ground, and could not quit the es- Bald, bold. 

tate to which he was attached, 4. Kippla, (couples,) beams Joi» 

without the permission of his ed at the top, for supporting « 

lord. This is the sense of the roof, in buildmsf. 

word, in the old Scottish records. Saioks, balks; cross beams. 

In the Scottish "Burghe Laws," Moil, laborious industry. 

translated from the ffleg-. Majest. Speer^d, asked. 

(Auchinleck MS. in the Adv. Knock, hillock. 

Lib.') it is used indiscriminately 5. JVeiest, smallest. 

with the Dan. and Swed. bonde, Crcan'd, shrunk, diminished; from 
Bigs, build. the Gaiilic, crton, very small. 



281 



Immert, emmet j ant. 

Christian, used in the Danish bal- 
lads, &c. in confradislinction to 
demoniac^ as it is in England, in 
contradistinction to brute; in 
which sense.i person of the low- 
er class in England, would call a 
Jew or a TurK, a Christian. 

Ptey, frighteu. 

6. Glowr'd, stared. 
Hald, hold. 

7. Skus:g. shade. 
Skaith, nami. 

8. Nighed, approached. 

9. Fowls, ho« Is. 

Tbofj "In the Dan. tude is applied 
both to the howling; of a dog, and 
the sound of a horn. 

Scraichs, screams. 

10. Laidly, loathly; disgustingly 
ugly. 

Orim, fierce. 

11. IVinnock, miniow. 
Mint, aim at. 

12. Coost, cast. 
Chalmer, chimber. 
Maist, most, 
.liua-ofall. 

13. Norwart, northward. 
T^ow, believe. 

14. Braids, strides quickly for 
ward. 

Wad, would. 

15. Canny, adroit. 
Many, many. 
fVul-waled, well-chosen. 

17. .^n,if. 
Side, abide, 
Lemman. mistress. 

18. Aae-^ate, nowise. 

19. Couth, could, knew how to, 
Lat be, let alone. 

Gude, goods ; property. 

20. Aitiath, beneath. 
DuMllin^stead, dweiling-place. 

21. Sary, sorrowful. 
Sede, counsel ; consultation. 
Fcrfaim, foilorn ; lost ; gone, 
Tvnt, ( verb neut.) be lost ; perish. 
21 Will of rede, bewildered in 

thought ; in the Danish original 
'vildraadiger Lat. "inopsconsi- 
lii;"Gr. ajropuii/. This expres- 
lion is left among the rienderata 

Y 



in the Glossary to Rifson's Ro- 
mances, and has never been ex- 
plained. It is obsolete in the Dan. 
ish as well as in English. 
Fare, go. 

23. Rud, red of the cheek. 
CUm'd, in the Danish hlemt ; 

(which, in the north of England 
i» still in use.as the word starved 
is with us) brought to a dying 
state. It is used by oui old come* 
dians. 
Harm, grief; as in the original, 
and in the old Teutonic, Englisli 
and Scottish poetry. 

24. Waefu, woful. 

Moody, strongly and wilfully pat* 
sioiiate. 

Rew. take ruth ; pity. 

Unseely, unhappy ; unblest. 

Weird, fale. 

Fa, (Isl. Dan. and Swed") take; get; 
acquire ; procure ; have for my 
lot,— This Gothic verb answers, 
in its direct and secondary signi- 
fications, exactly to the Latin 
capio I and Allan Kamsay was 
right In his definition of if. It is 
quite a differeut word from fa\ 
an abbreviation of 'Jail or tie/all; 
and is the principal root in 
fan gen to fang, take, or lay hold 
of. 

25. Fay, faith. 
JV/oW,inould; earth. 
Mat, inote; might. 
Maun, must. 
Mdl, mix. 

El, an elf. This term in the Welsh 
signifies what has in itself th* 
power of motion, a mooing 
principle ; a7i intelligence ; a 
spirit : an angel. In the Hebrew 
it bears the same import 

26. Minted, attempted ; meant ; 
showed a miyid, or intention to. 
The original is; 

" Hand mindte, hende forst— og 

anden gang; — 
Hun giordis i hiortet sa vee ; 
End blef hand den lediste deifvel 
Mand kunde med oyen see. 
Derhand v ilde mttuKc den tiedM 

gang," &c 



282 APPENDIX. 

Syth, tide ; time, in the oldest Teut, Romancet^ 

Kyth, appear. mar, mer, and rnere, have 8oni« 

28. Stotaid, hour; time; moment. times the same signification, 

29. Merry, (old Teut. mere, ) fa- 3,, j^^^^ amends; recompense, 
mous; renowned; answerm», m ' '^ 

its etymological nieaiiing, exact- 33. Maik, match ; peer ; equal, 

ly to the Latin mactus. Hence Propinc, pledge; gift. 

merry-men, as the address of a 35. oe, an island of the iccond mag- 
chief to his followers; mean- nitude; an island of the_/irit mag^ 
ing, not men of mirth, but of re- nitude being called a iajid, and 
nown. the term is found in its one of the third magnitude a 
original sense in the Gael mara, holm. 

tad lie Welsh mavur, great; and 36. Cour'd, recover'd. 



THE GHAIST'S WARNING. 

TRANSLATED FROM THE DANISH K.EMPE VISER, p. 721. 

Bi/ the permission of Mr. Jamieson, this ballad is ad. 
ded from the same curious Collection, It contains 
some passages of great pathos. 

Svend Dijring hand rider sig op under oe, 

[ Vare jeg selver ungj 
Derfccste hand sig sua ven en moe, 

\_Mig lyster udi lunden at ride,2 ^c. 

Child Dyring has ridden him under oe,* 

^And O gin I were young .'] 
There wedded he him sae fairt he may, 

[/' the greenwood it lists me to ride.'] 

Thegilher they lived for seven lang year, 

lAnd O, ^c] 
And ihey seven bairns hae gotten in fere. 
[_P the greenwood, ^c'] 
* " Under oe."— The original expression has been preserved here and 
elsewhere, because no other could be found to supply its place. TherB 
is just as much meaning in it in the translation as in the original; but it it 
a standard Danish ballad phrase; and as such, it is hoped, will be allowed 

T" Fair."— The Dan. and Swed. ven, van, or venne, and the Gael. 
ban, in the oblique cases bhan {van,) is the origin of the Scottish ionny 
which ha« so much puzzled all the etymologists. 



APPENDIX. 283 

Sae Death's come there intll that stead, 
Aud that winsome lily flower is dead. 

That swain he has ridden him up under oe, 
And syne he has married aniiher may. 

He's married a may, and he's fessen her hame ; 
But she was a grin\ and a ladlie dame. 

When into the castell court drave she, 

The seven bairns stood wi' the tear in their ee. 

The bairns they stood with dule and dout ; — 
She up wi' her foot, and she kick'd them ouU 

Nor ale nor mead to the barnies she gave ; 
" But hunger and hate frae me ye's have." 

She took frae them the bowster blae. 
And said, •' Ye sail ligg i' the bare slrae !" 

She took frae them the groff wax-light ; 
Says, " Now ye sail ligg i' the mi»k a' night !" 

'Twas lang i' the night, and the barnies grat ; 
Their nn.ilher she under the mools heard that; 

That heard the wife under the eard that lay ; 
" For sooth maun I to my barnies gae I" 

That wife can stand up at our Lord's knee, 
And " May I gang and my barnies see ?" 

She prigged sae sair, and she prigged sae lang, 
That he at last gae her leave to gang. 

"And thou sail come back when the cock doei 

craw; 
For Ihou nae longer sail bide awa." 



284 APPENDIX. 

Wi' her banes sae stark a bowt she gae : 
She's riven baith wa' and marble gray.* 

Whan near to the dwalling she can gang, 
The dogs they wow'd till the lift it rang. 

When she cam till the castell yeU, 
Her eldest dochter stood thereat. 

•' Why stand ye here, dear dochter mine ? 
How are sma britbers and sisters thine ]" — 

"For sooth ye're a woman baith fair and fine ; 
But ye are nae dear mither of mine." — 

"Och! how should I be fine or fair ? 

My cheek it is pale, and the ground's my fair."— 

" My mither was white, wi' cheek sae red, 
But thou art wan, and likerane dead.'" — 

" Och ! how should I be white and red, 
Sae lang as I've been cauld and dead?" 

When she cam till the chalmer in, 

Down the bairns' cheeks the tears did rin. 

She buskit the tane, and she brush'd it there ; 
She kem'd and plaited the tither's hair. 

The thirden she doodled upon her knee, 
And the fourthen she dichted sae cannilis. 

She's ta'en the fifthen upon her lap, 
And sweetly suckled it at her pap. 

• JH origindl ofthit and the following stanza it very fine, 
" Hun skod op sine modi;e been, 
Der revenede muur og graa niarmorsteen. 
Der hun gik igennem den b). 
De huTuU dt iude saa hqjt i sky." 



Till her eldest dochter syne said she, 
" Ye bid Child Dyring come here to me." 

Whan he cam till the chalmer in, 
Wi' angry mood she said to him: 

" I left you roulh o' ale and bread ; 
My bairnies quail for hunger and need. 

♦' I left ahind me braw bowsters tlae ; 
My barnies are liggin i' the bare sirae. 

*' I left ye eae mony a groff wax-light ; 
My barnies ligg i' ihe mirk a' night. 

** Gin aft 1 come back to visit thee, 

Wae, dowy, and weary thy luck shall be." 

Up spak little Kirstin in bed that lay : 
" To thy barnies I'll do the best I may." 

Aye when they heard the dog nirr and bell, 
Sae ga'e they the barnies bread and ale. 

Aye whan the dog did wow, in haste 

They cross'd and sain'd themsells frae the gbaist. 

Aye whan the little dogyowl'd, with fear 

[_And O gin I were young /] 
They shook at the thought that the dead waa near 

[/' the greenwood it lists me to ride."} 

or, 

[fbir words sae mony a heart they cheer."] 

GLOSS AfiY. 
St. I. ^fay, maid. iVinsome, engaging; giying joy, 

Litts, pleases. (olJ Teiit.') 

*. Stead, place. 4. Syne, then. 

S. Bairns, children; 6. Fessen, fetched; brooght. 

In fere, tugeUier. 6. Diave, drove. 



S86 



APPENDIX. 



I. DruIe,tOTToyr. 
Dout, fear, 

8, Bowster, bolster; cushion ; bed. 

£lae, blue. 

Strae, straw. 

10. Grojf, great ; large in girt. 

iiark, mirk; dark. 

II. Lang t' the night, late. 
Graf, wept. 

Mools, mould; earth. 
12. Eard, earth. 
Gat, go. 

14. Prigged, entreated earnestly 
' and perseveringly. 

Gang, go. 

15. Craw, crow. 

16. Banes, bones. 
Stark, strou?. 

B(not,\x)\{ ; elastic spring like that 

of a bolt or anow from a bo«-. 
Riven, split asunder. 
Wd', wall. 

17. fTo'd, howled. 

Lift, skyj firmament, air. 

18. yeiJ, gate. 



19. 5'ma, small. 

22. iire, complexion. 

23. Co;d, cold. 

24. 7^«, to. 
iiin, run. 

25. Buskii. dressed. 
Kern'd, combed. 
THlher, the other. 

28. iiou/A, plenty. 
Quail, are quelled; die. 
JVtft/, want. 

29. ^Atnd. behind. 
Braw, brave ; fine. 
31. Dcfuxy, sorrowful. 

33. A'irr, snarl. 
Bdl, bark. 

34. Sained, blessed; literally, tigiu 
ed with the sign of the cross. 
Before the introduction of Chris- 
liaiiiiy, Rujies were used ia 
saining as a spell agaiost the 
power of euchaJtment and evil 
genii. 

G/iau(,gh.-«L 



END OF THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 



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